[DX] Dxpedition study results

[John Geiger]

Several months ago I sent an email out looking for
participants for a research study I am conducting at
Cameron University.  I am interested in the
personality profiles of people who go on dxpeditions
to uninhabited islands, because I have always thought
that it takes a special type of person to function
well under those extreme conditions (isolation,
possible boredom, extreme weather, etc).  I am now
going to share my initial findings with the reflector.

60 hams responded, and all but 1 were male.  There
were from USA, Mexico, Canada, Europe, South America,
Japan, Indonesia, and Australia.  30 had gone on a
dxpedition to an uninhabited location, and 30 had only
been on dxpeditions to inhabited regions.  Most ranked
it as one of the best experiences in their life.  

Five different personality variables were measured,
and these were:

1. Extraversion- marked by pronounced engagement with
the external world. Extraverts enjoy being with
people, are full of energy, and often experience
positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic,
action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say
"Yes!" or "Let's go!" to opportunities for excitement.
In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and
draw attention to themselves. 

Hams who had been on a dxpedition as a group scored
higher on this measure than the average population. 
This makes sense since being with a group in a foreign
or remote place requires outgoingness.


2. Agreeableness-reflects individual differences in
concern with cooperation and social harmony. Agreeable
individuals value getting along with others. They are
therefore considerate, friendly, generous, helpful,
and willing to compromise their interests with
others'. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view
of human nature. They believe people are basically
honest, decent, and trustworthy. 

This would seem to be a very important trait for
people who go on a dxpedition, unless you go on a
dxpedition by yourself (a couple of respondents did
that several times).  Being able to live and work
together in isolated and extreme conditions would be
crucial to the success of a dxpedition.  The hams who
took the survey scored significantly above the average
person on this measure. 

3. Conscientiousness-the way in which we control,
regulate, and direct our impulses. Impulses are not
inherently bad; occasionally time constraints require
a snap decision, and acting on our first impulse can
be an effective response. Nonetheless, acting on
impulse can lead to trouble in a number of ways. One
problem with impulsive acts is that they often produce
immediate rewards but undesirable, long-term
consequences. Impulsive behavior, even when not
seriously destructive, diminishes a person's
effectiveness in significant ways. Acting impulsively
disallows contemplating alternative courses of action,
some of which would have been wiser than the impulsive
choice. Impulsivity also sidetracks people during
projects that require organized sequences of steps or
stages. Accomplishments of an impulsive person are
therefore small, scattered, and inconsistent. 

Hams who had been on a dxpedition scored significantly
above average on this measure as well.  

4. neuroticism- refers to the tendency to experience
negative feelings. Those who score high on Neuroticism
may experience primarily one specific negative feeling
such as anxiety, anger, or depression, but are likely
to experience several of these emotions. People high
in neuroticism are emotionally reactive. They respond
emotionally to events that would not affect most
people, and their reactions tend to be more intense
than normal. 

Hams who had been on a dxpedition scored well below
average on this measure.  This was good to see, as
being on a dxpedition could put one in some very
trying times and situations.  It would definitely be a
benefit to not be emotionally reactive to minor
events.

5. Openness to experience-describes a dimension of
cognitive style that distinguishes imaginative,
creative people from down-to-earth, conventional
people. Open people are intellectually curious,
appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They
tend to be, compared to closed people, more aware of
their feelings. They tend to think and act in
individualistic and nonconforming ways. 

Dxpedition hams did not differ from the average person
on this measure.  This was very surprising.  Going to
a foreign, maybe uninhabited location, to operate is a
very unique and different experience, and one that
many people would not want to do because of the
disruption their normal routine that would occur.

Another interesting finding was that both groups of
dxpeditioners were very similar in these personality
traits.  There were no significant differences between
those that had gone to an uninhabited location and
those who had gone only to inhabited locations.


I need to do further analysis on the data, as each of
these personality traits can be broken down into
several different facets.  I wanted to get this
initial data out to the different reflectors, and will
post additional data as it becomes available.  I would
like to thank all of those who participated in the
study, both for their time, and for their service to
the dx community by undertaking these dxpeditions.

73s John Geiger NE0P




=====
John Geiger
Assistant Professor, Cameron University
Ham Call NE0P, active 160-23cm
Kenwood TS2000, Kenwood TH31, Icom T81A
Now on RTTY, PSK, Hellschreiber, JT43, and HSMS with WSJT
SMIRK 5768, 10X 67581, 6 club 497
5BWAS, DXCC, 2 VUCCs on 50 mhz (Iowa, Illinois)

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