The Human Element in Exploration
Those in the know will recognise the title of this article as a namecheck to Sir Vivian Fuchs’ reflections following the successful completion of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic expedition. Fuchs was not the first, nor the last, to muse upon the human element of exploratory and adventurous travel. However, his graceful writing and astute observations continue to strike a chord. Reading his essay, it reminds of the first time I cast my eyes over the article entitled ‘Homo Invictus: An indomitable species’. Interspersed with excerpts from the William Ernest Henley poem ‘Invictus’, that paper shone a light on the unwavering and resilient nature of the human species. It was that paper that propelled me on a path of intellectual exploration that continues to this very day, a path I continue to follow in pursuit of answers to questions. Not only ‘why’ (which resulted in the now-famous pithy response from George Mallory), but ‘who’ are the people choosing to venture into unusual, adventurous and extreme settings, and ‘how’ do those very same people cope with vicissitudes of these demanding, challenging and hostile environments.
I remember the polar endurance athlete, Ben Saunders, once saying that he was more a doer than an observer of ‘things’. My own experience is almost the opposite. I am, by nature, an observer, thinker and analyst. Perhaps it is these skills that make me well-suited to an academic life, behind a desk and deep in thought, rather than in those wild and lonely places. However, over the past few years, it is these very skills that have created innumerable opportunities to study the psychological aspects of people in extreme settings. With an eye on modern thinking and an evolving application of psychological science, myself and colleagues, have been fortunate enough to study individuals and groups operating in the most incredible array of environments. Amongst many highlights, I have had the pleasure of working with groups in desert, jungle, mountain and polar settings, to contribute to European Space Agency studies in Antarctica, to work with military populations, and those involved in extreme medicine and disaster relief.
What have we learnt from these efforts?
Over the past 5 years, the many projects we (I say ‘we’ because it is always a team effort) have conducted have looked at all phases of the expedition experience. From understanding personality and motivation, and monitoring performance and health in extremes at one end, to dealing with post-expedition blues and realising a path towards deliverance, personal development and growth at the other.
As a result of these effort, we as a community, are now more familiar with the personal characteristics of people venturing into extremis, and even have an idea of the traits that might be beneficial for functioning under stress. We have started to understand the motives for entering risky environments, which reflect a range of drivers and move beyond the view that expeditioners and extreme sport athletes are only sensation-seeking adrenaline junkies.
In my own work, I have been interested in the day-to-day experience of people operating in the expedition environment. My interest in the situational experience is stimulated by the reading of Scott, Shackleton and Thesiger’s diaries. Their accounts detailing the daily stresses and strains of deprivation, but also the majesty of the natural world and camaraderie that comes with an intense shared experience.
I have been incredibly lucky and with the support of amazing people like Shane Winser at the RGS, Mark Evans (leader of the Crossing the Empty Quarter expedition) and teams like SPEAR17 and Felicity Aston’s EuroArabian expedition group, have been able to collect large quantities of data, providing an unprecedented insight into the psychological dynamics of expedition life. Findings from these studies are starting to tell us about the daily experience of being on expedition; highlighting an overwhelmingly valuable and positive experience, with the occasional nod to difficulties, including physical exhaustion, injury, teamwork challenges and in some cases severe sleep deprivation.
We have found that expeditioners often report feeling misunderstood and unable to fully explain their experiences when they get home. I suppose it is this drive to build empathy, and wanting to get closer to the experience of being on and returning from expedition, that got me out from behind the desk. Since starting work in this area, I have been fortunate enough to explore more; taking a trip to Antarctica, discovering the stark contrasts of the Icelandic interior, crossing the Hardangervidda in Norway, and trying to lead a more adventurous life. Each time I come home I feel a little bit more connected to the incredible people I have been fortunate enough to study, perhaps partly because I now understand how awful it is to be on the London Underground at rush hour upon getting back from several weeks in isolated-bliss.
Where do we go from here?
Going-forward, colleagues and I are continuing to conduct studies into health and wellbeing in risky, dynamic and extreme settings. Our aim, is provide high quality psychological information in support of expedition endeavours. Whether that be related to understanding personnel selection and team-building or to offer advice on post-expedition transition and reintegration. Certain things have changed since Sir Vivian Fuchs’ 1963 contemplation on the human element in exploration. What has not changed is the desire for humans to go further, faster and higher, pushing the boundaries of the unexplored. We want to make sure that when doing so, modern-day adventurers, explorers and pioneers not only survive, but thrive in the World’s most demanding of environments.
The article was originally published on the Sidetracked Magazine Field Journal at http://www.sidetracked.com/fieldjournal/the-human-element-in-exploration/
