Investigations of life in polar stations: For an intervention at the beginning, during or at the end of the mission? Karine Weiss Laboratoire de Psychologie Environnementale CNRS UMR 8069 Université Paris 5

ICEs : Psychosocial issues Confinement: space limitations Isolation: reduced external communications

Main sources of satisfaction: Beauty of the environment Professional interests Psychosocial and environmental issues Main sources of stress: Environmental and social monotony Different professions and statutes (technicians, scientists, military people)

A winter-over = transitions - Transition in the life course - Shorter transitions:  at the beginning  at the end of the mission Adaptation to new situations

3 periods in the course of the winter-over 3. The end: - how to return to the “real life”? - Reorganization of man-environment relationships 1.The beginning of the mission: - how to live in this new environment? - new way of life & behavioural norms 2. The mission: - how to cope with isolation and confinement? - Place appropriation & life within a small group

3 kinds of data collection on site 3. After the isolation period: - Perception of a reformulated reality - interviews & tests & questionnaires 1.Before the real isolation period: - collection of expectations; baseline data - interviews & tests & questionnaires 2. During the isolation period: - Collection of behaviours & perceptions in situ - Participant observation + questionnaires

Results: at the beginning of the mission Expectations Utopia of an ideal life in community (a group of friends with strong relationships) An unique environmental and human experience No clear expectations about the work (workload and work conditions)

Behaviours Behavioural “routines” (linked to the monotony?) Social categorization with interpersonal and intergroup conflicts Importance of a balance in the social relationships for the individual adaptation Importance of the workload A specific rythm linked to the lenght of the mission (3/4 phenomenon?) Results: during the mission

7 first months 6 stables groups 2 last months Division of the groups  Repartition of the subjects linked to their professional status Social behaviours Changes at the end of the winter-over : - Increase of withdrawal behaviours - Division of affinity groups

Occupation of space (during leisure time in the evening) Living roomBedroomWorkOutside Scientists (young)* 40% 30%28% 1% Technicians (older)** 36% 34%30% 0,5% Total38% 32%29%0,7% % of time spent in each place * < 28 years old ** up to 50 years old

Participation of the (voluntary) subjects with positive experience  Minor problems  Good adaptation Results: at the end of the mission Expression of the adaptation

Perception of positive aspects (at the end of the mission) Importance of positive stimulations (from the external environment) Importance of the environmental appropriation: - each iceberg has a name (“the tooth”; “the citadel”…) - “the environment belongs to us”; “the environment leaves with us” (penguins, icebergs)

Perception of negative aspects (at the end of the mission) Social isolation (family, females) Social categorization (linked to the professional status) Boredom when going out is impossible Way back home: “what awaits me ?”

Conclusions More interesting results with on site observations during the mission  Evolution of behaviours in a specific space-time unity  Interest for « Natural laboratories » End of the mission = behavioural changes = « re-adaptation »  Adaptation to changes (and not only to the novelty of a situation)