Personality at the Poles Imagine a place that is dark for six months at a time, far from your
friends and family, where the land is covered with ice and snow, and
howling winds chill the air. Who would want to live there? Steel et al. (1997) attempted to answer that question by surveying the "big
five" personality traits of polar workers. Scientists, support
workers, and military personnel from ten countries living in either the
Arctic or Antarctica took a personality survey. They rated statements like
"Some people think I'm selfish" and "I'm pretty good about
pacing myself so as to get things done on time" on a scale running
from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Despite their severe
environments, the polar residents showed higher levels of agreeableness
and openness, and lower levels of neuroticism than average samples. They
were psychologically more healthy than average people in milder climates.
Workers who go to the poles are generally screened for psychological
problems before they are sent to their isolated posts. However, all of the
subjects of the study had volunteered to go to the poles, demonstrating
that well-adjusted people, and not just eccentric hermits, can enjoy
living in harsh, lonely places. |
2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education