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| Accentuating the positive ... in space! |
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| For a successful, long-duration space flight, such as a mission to Mars, we must understand the psychology of human beings in space. Most of the research is about identifying psychological risks that could compromise a mission and how to minimize these. How astronauts cope with the hardships of space travel—the isolated, confined and extreme environment, or ICE—is important in this research. However, just as medicine is beginning to recognize that achieving and maintaining wellness is as critical as avoiding and curing sickness, so, too, is positive psychology gaining recognition as a vital counterpart to problem-focused negative psychology. |
The astronauts on the International Space Station spend six months in space. Since the accident of the Space Shuttle Columbia, only two astronauts stay on the space station. They perform their daily routines in this confined environment with only each other as companion.
(Photo: NASA)
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Experience strengthens
CSA is proud to support Dr. Peter Suedfeld of the University of British Columbia as he leads the move to study the positive, as well as negative, psychology of the space experience. Dr. Suedfeld is already a world-expert in the psychology of another type of ICE, the polar experience.
A Mars mission would last a minimum of two years, so it is important to understand human behaviour in an ICE environment.
(The futuristic illustration of a Martian base is from NASA)
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He has extensively researched a phenomenon reported by most people who work in the Antarctic—that despite the challenges and danger of their work, they feel that the experience has changed them for the better. These people describe themselves as having been strengthened and inspired. Mentally and physically, their health has improved, and they've developed a sense of comradeship that has roots in the shared hardships they've endured. They have achieved a new and clear understanding of what is important in life. They feel they have greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and a deeper appreciation of natural beauty and grandeur. |
Diaries speak volumes
Dr. Suedfeld conducts his research in a specific way: he does not interview his subjects. Often in interviews and psychological tests, people will try to address the interviewer's interests or concerns and present themselves in a good light. They may downplay troubling situations and emotions—a combination that can cover up real feelings and lead to mistaken conclusions. Instead, Dr. Suedfeld will compare the experiences of astronauts and polar explorers by studying memoirs, interviews, diaries, journals and articles they have written in the course of their normal activities.
| Dr. Suedfeld will use the thematic content analysis (TCA) approach. It is one he has used for over 25 years to study a variety of groups, such as leaders making decisions under stress, survivors of extreme trauma, such as the Holocaust, and early European settlers on the prairies. The strength of TCA is that it measures the various positive, neutral and negative elements. The TCA approach will also be applied to interviews, articles and other materials of the explorers' family members; the results will be analyzed by Dr. Phyllis Johnson, a specialist in family studies, to see how the close relatives of astronauts or polar workers cope with the absence and return of their loved ones. Scores will be assigned to the data, taking into account variables such as age, sex, profession and nationality. |
The Haughton–Mars Project base, located in Canada's North, is an example of an isolated place where scientists prepare themselves for a long-duration mission. (Photo: NASA)
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Benefiting from experience
The results of this study should give a better picture of the psychology—ranging from the most positive to the most negative elements—of ICE situations such as space, as well as of their long-term effects. Aspects of the experience that astronauts view positively or negatively, regardless of their age, nationality or sex, and which may be gender- or culture-specific, will be identified. By working, as the Johnny Mercer song asks, to "Accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative," we will help astronauts cope with, and make the most of, their experience in the space environment.
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