Study of Ukrainian polar explorers' psychological readiness for extreme environments at the antarctic station

Abstract

The research is devoted to the study of Ukrainian polar explorers’ psychological readiness for extreme environments of the "Academician Vernadsky" Antarctic station. The relevance of the study is substantiated; the scientific papers of domestic and foreign researchers on the problem concerned are analyzed. The concept of psychological readiness for extreme environmental conditions is specified; the age limits of the studied groups are determined; methodological tools of psychological research are presented. Theoretical bases and practical results on the problem involved are considered. The three aspects of readiness of the polar explorers, namely psychophysiological, personality, social-psychological are differentiated. The peculiarities of psychological training are described. The complex of methods of psychological research of three age categories is implemented. The comparison of the results of the research has revealed some changes in psychological characteristics. It is proved that the most prepared age group includes middle-aged persons (from 35 to 45 years), which constitutes about 40% of the participants and indicates a sufficient level of psychological stability of wintering teams. These results enable to identify new criteria for psychological prediction, as well as to confirm the need for further psychological research.