This thesis investigates the psychological peculiarities and factors of interpersonal interaction of winterers in Ukrainian Antarctic expeditions, and development on these bases of a system of events aimed at increasing of interpersonal interaction effectiveness.
Ukraine as a member of the Antarctic Treaty and in the framework of fulfilling international obligations every year sends the wintering team to Ukrainian Antarctic station “Akademik Vernadsky”. The 11-12 specialists of various profiles are keeps the annual operation and scientific investigation on the station.
The relevance of our studied is due to the lack of scientific knowledge about interpersonal interaction of people in a small group. This problem also applies improving the psychological training of winterers before departure to Antarctic station.
The thesis presents the analysis of the meaning and nature of interpersonal interaction in small groups of specialists, whose professional activity in different areas takes place in extreme environmental conditions and social and spatial isolation. It is determined that the negative factors of the Antarctic environment include: prolonged exposure to low temperatures for body, low atmospheric pressure, strong winds, monochrome environment, geomagnetic storms, increased solar radiation (especially during the ozone hole), the effects of the polar night and the polar day. It has been found that these factors adversely affect the physical and psychological state of people: there is a deterioration of health, mood and performance, impairment of cognitive functions. The psycho-emotional disorders have been arising: chronic stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue; disturbances in personal communication, behavior and interpersonal interaction in a small wintering team who work during the year in isolation from the external world. These factors, as well as the lack of scientific development of such issues in psychology emphasize the relevance of the topic of dissertation research.
For the first time the complex approach to studying of individual-psychological features of winterers and factors of interpersonal interaction taking into account specificity of conditions of activity is justified: a) small (11-12 persons) group; b) extreme environmental conditions; c) long-term (12-13 months) isolation from society and limited spatial movement. The factors of effective interpersonal interaction of winterers are revealed, which are distributed according to the indicators of: social cohesion; psychophysiological state; emotional state, self-assessment of performance. During the research it was determined that the key to effective interpersonal interaction of Ukrainian Antarctic expedition winterers is developed communicative and organizational tendencies: in interpersonal relationships "friendliness" (73%) and "dominance" (70%) are prevailed. Compromise and avoidance are consistently dominant strategies in conflict situations. The avoidance is opposed to the effectiveness of interpersonal interaction, especially during the polar night. Until the end of wintering the rivalry level is increase and the level of adaptation is decrease. The main feature of the selection of team members is the compliance of neuropsychological stability to a favorable level and above. During periods of increased nervous and emotional stress, which occurs in the middle of the year, some winterers have a decrease of neuropsychological stability level such up to unfavorable.
It is determined that more than a third of winterers (36.1%) belong to pronounced extroverts and 61.1% are characterized by an intermediate between extraversion and introversion. The degree of neuroticism is mostly low and medium. During the period of "acute adaptation" and the polar night the level of psychoticism as a negative factor of interpersonal interaction of winterers is increases.
The analysis of the indicators of the types of accentuations of the character of winterers revealed an increase in the emotional perception of the external world from enthusiasm and inspiration to frustration, despair and anxiety. The detachment from quotidian life, romanticism, sentimentality and a pronounced emotional reaction to unfulfilled expectations are observed. Due to influence of extreme environment conditions and long-term group isolation, a gradual increase in aggression in interpersonal relationships, anxiety, insularity, conservatism and a decrease of self-control level were revealed. Relationships of authoritarianism, aggression, selfishness and dependence which negatively affect on the interpersonal interaction on the Antarctic station are unacceptable.
