PEOPLE IN HIGH-LATITUDES - THE BIG 5 PERSONALITY-CHARACTERISTICS OF THE CIRCUMPOLAR SOJOURNER

The personality of the polar sojourner has been of interest to psychol ogists for a number of years. Using the NEO Five Factor Inventory, thi s study examined the general personality factors of the polar worker c ompared to a normative population, and how these factors differ accord ing to the worker's occupational classification and the polar region i n which he or she is working. It was found that polar workers scored h igher than a normative group on all factors except Neuroticism. Compar isons across occupational groups showed that scientists were lower tha n military personnel on Extraversion and lower than technical/support staff on Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. The analysis by polar re gion indicated that Antarctic workers were higher than Arctic personne l on Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness. A group of It alian Antarctic personnel, completing a translated form of the NEO-FFI , scored lower than the rest of the polar groups on all factors. These findings are discussed in light of various features of the polar envi ronment and Gunderson's 3-predictor model of polar adaptability.