Gaining deeper insight into the psychological challenges of human spaceflight: The role of motivational dynamics

Relations Between Daily Events, Coping Strategies and Health During a British Army Ski Expedition Across Antarctica

“…Loneliness, for instance, is likely to thwart a person’s sense of relatedness, whereas muscle and joint pain is likely to impair task performance and hinder progress, thereby frustrating autonomy and competence. The frustration of the psychological needs has recently been linked to a range of adverse health responses in isolated and extreme teams and may explain the health impact of negative events in the present work (Goemaere et al, 2016). Interestingly, individuals who were not experiencing pain but were nevertheless concerned about the effectiveness of teammates might have experienced an increased sense of competence because of taking on additional responsibility (in the present case, taking weight from another team member’s pulk) and therefore having an increased status within the team.…”

“…For example, self-determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000; Vansteenkiste & Ryan, 2013) suggests that individuals will function optimally and experience better health when their basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness are met. Being able to cope and satisfaction in making progress should generate feelings of autonomy and competence, which, according to SDT, would then result in adaptive health responses (Goemaere, Vansteenkiste, & Van Petegem, 2016).…”

“…In contrast to positive events, negative events are more likely to thwart an individual’s basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness (Goemaere et al, 2016; Vansteenkiste & Ryan, 2013). Loneliness, for instance, is likely to thwart a person’s sense of relatedness, whereas muscle and joint pain is likely to impair task performance and hinder progress, thereby frustrating autonomy and competence.…”

Astronaut adherence to exercise-based reconditioning: Psychological considerations and future directions

“…Research on astronaut motivation has typically been descriptive, and researchers have called for future work to be couched within theoretical frameworks [Goemaere et al, 2016). A meta-theory of human motivation, personality, and emotion that addresses motivation quality and the conditions that support optimal engagement, growth, and development is self-determination theory…”

“…SDT specifies three universal psychological needs that provide the essential nutriments for people to experience growth, development, and wellbeing: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Social environments that support these needs would provide the basis for astronauts to engage more volitionally in reconditioning activities, and experience greater effective functioning and enhanced psychological wellness (Goemaere et al, 2016).…”