Sociocultural Influences on Psychosocial Adjustment in Antarctica

• Main Author: Palinkas, Lawrence A.
• Other Authors: NAVAL HEALTH RESEARCH CENTER SAN DIEGO CA
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1985
• Subjects: Sociology and Law; Psychology; *ISOLATION; *ADAPTATION; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; *STRESS(PSYCHOLOGY); *GROUP DYNAMICS; PERSONNEL; CONFINEMENT(GENERAL); PERCEPTION; PERSONALITY; CULTURE; HOMOGENEITY; LIVING STANDARDS; STRATEGY; ENVIRONMENTS; STATIONS; SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY; STRESSES; CONTROL; SMALL GROUPS; PE61152N; WU6035; Antarctic; The Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA165988; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA165988

Psychological stress is a 'normal' part of wintering-over in the Antarctic given the unusual living conditions of small groups, the harsh environment, and the prolonged isolation from outside contact. The degree of stress, however, is influenced by different sociocultural factors. Three in particular are examined in this paper: (1) those located in the individual personality; (2) those located in the sociocultural backgrounds of station personnel; and (3) those located in the sociocultural systems of the stations themselves. Certain conflicts emerge from the interaction of these influences. The process of social comparison which fosters group homogeneity also generates perceptions of relative control over the social environment and self-esteem. Those people who perceive themselves to be powerless or helpless because they cannot exercise autonomy in either a social or a psychological sense have the greatest difficulty in adjusting to the Antarctic environment. Resources enabling one to deal with similar conflicts in the outside world are absent here, while strategies such as social isolation may be viewed as adaptive in this particular environment. Other processes, such as values, group behavior, and group identity serve to bring together a group of individuals whose sociocultural and personality idiosyncracies are integrated into a cultural form common to the confined or isolated group.