Learning to Cope in Extreme Environments

Paradoxically environmental psychologists have, to a great extent, ignored the most fascinating environments: those that lie outside the common everyday situations encountered by most of us. Descriptions of how people cope with such conditions attract a much wider and more enthusiastic readership than the painstaking analysis, the meticulous research, and the ingenious theories published in professional journals. As a matter of fact, I suspect that many environmental psychologists themselves enjoy the tales of solitary sailors, polar explorers, and deep-sea divers more than they do the monthly issue of even their favourite scientific periodical.