Adaptation

Conclusion

Сonditions of deprivation during group isolation are a strong stress factor negatively influencing psychological health of crewmembers, their performance and interpersonal communication.

Favorable psychological climate in the crew is an important factor helping crew members to endure the conditions of group isolation and influence of negative psychogenic factors, to maintain high working capacity.

In this respect major direction in ship’s officers' activity is creation of favorable 'moral and psychological climate, maintenance of the harmonious interpersonal relations onboard and organization of professional activity without frictions (без трений) and conflicts.

If you adapt to a new situation or environment, you change your ideas or behaviour in order to deal with it successfully. So every representative of any profession has to adapt to his/her place of work. These are technological adaptation (to "physical" conditions of the enterprise, technological process) and psychosocial adaptation – (to the personnel).

However for representatives of the majority of enterprises this process applies only to one sphere – professional activity, it does not apply to their private or public life.

But a seafarer’s work is a not only professional activity, but also activity of the person within autonomous technical system – a vessel; a person stays here round-the-clock.

Therefore adaptation of crews to working conditions is twice more difficult, than of representatives of many other professions. First, special working conditions (continuous influence of macro ([mækrə(ʋ)]) - and microenvironment factors, influence of extreme factors) complicate adaptation to production and technological processes; secondly, overlapping ([͵əʋvəʹlæpıŋ] частичное совпадение) of professional activity and life activity increases requirements to psychosocial adaptation.

Special character of working conditions, besides, leads to two consequences:

• First, to аuthoritarian ([ɔ:͵θɒrıʹte(ə)rıən] авторитарный) style of crew management on board vessels. It is connected not only with the system of the relations provided by the charter (устав). Psychological researches show that in extreme conditions under low extent of control over environment (в условиях низкого контроля над окружающей средой)the most successful leaders are authoritarian;they strengthen their power and their influence, demand obedience (послушание) from subordinates. In other words, conditions of work at sea with periodically arising extreme situations promote authoritarian style of crew management.

• Second. To perform their duties effectively the crews are required to be much more cohesive ([kəu'hiːsɪv] сплоченный) and to have the necessary team skills, than in other working groups. That sets bigger demands to ability of each crewmember to psychosocial (психосоциальный) adaptation.

Distinctive features of adaptation to the "combined" work and rest

Crew members artificially (искуственно) differentiate a work and rest zones – by preservation of personal space –

• by "cultivating” cabins («одомашнивать» каюты) with flowers, photos and posters, personal audio-, video equipment and so forth);
• by developing such standards of behavior which assume "respect of private possession", create "rituals" of visiting cabins (according to a preliminary arrangement, giving a knock at the door and so forth).