MY RESEARCH AIMS TO EDUCATE FUTURE WORLD LEADERS ON THE BENEFITS OF PROTECTING THE NATURAL WORLD, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF DEVELOPING RESILIENT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES.


Nathan Smith


“There has been a good deal of research on personality in extreme conditions. Professors Peter Suedfeld, Lawrence Palinkas, Gro Sandal (who is involved in this project), and Gloria Leon among others, have consistently examined personal factors in different types of expedition groups.


This has led to a good understanding of the type of person who performs well in such conditions. However, most of this research is conducted with trained people such as full time expedition-goers, military personnel and astronauts. In the present study, we are interested in the profile of a civilian international expedition group, which includes members from all over the world.


During the trip, participants will be asked to complete a brief daily expedition diary and contribute to a video-diary at the end of each week. I will use this to examine changes in emotions during the expedition, how members have coped with the stressors faced and group interactions and tensions during the trip.


Given the work that has come before, I would expect most participants to provide a positive account of their experience during this short-duration expedition and report growth on return to everyday life. I am particularly looking forward to collecting data on how the group functioned during the expedition to better understand how the diverse group members operate when faced with challenging situations.


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