[SFDXA] DXpedition Study Results...

[Bill Marx]

Jose, PJ2MI Sent this to me and I thought the group would find it interesting.
-Bill W2CQ


"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
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>