Abstract:

Antarctica is the coldest, the driest and the windiest continent on the earth. The severe natural and social environment in Antarctica challenges the limit of physical and psychological adaptation. Psychological researches on Antarctic expeditioners’ winter-over life could enhance our understanding on how human beings adapting to isolated, confined and extreme environments. Nine people who worked at Great Wall station and Zhongshan Station from 2003 to 2006 were interviewed with the in-depth semi-structured interview method. The transcriptions were analyzed by computer-aided qualitative analysis software. It was found that the adaptation problems could be categorized into four types, physical, emotional, interpersonal and task-related. Two main factors which effect on the quality of work and life in Antarctica were identified. Internal factors are personality, attitude, age and previous experiences, while external factors include natural environments, conditions of stations and key persons, especially the chef and the station master. A theoretical framework of coping strategies including organizational and individual aspects was developed. Among the seven ways of coping, energy transferring（such as taking part in sports entertainment or learning）plays the most important role. All results do not only provide a strong theoretical base for future research of Polar Psychology, but also provide an empirical base for more application on Antarctic expeditions, flight and space missions.

Key words: coping strategies.