Locus of control, stress resistance, and personal growth of participants in the Mars-500 experiment

Abstract

The article deals with positive personal transformations in a simulated space mission. The investigation was focused on the aspects of locus of control, resilient coping, proactive coping, and stress-related personal growth. In addition, ingenious psychophysiological techniques designed to select Russian cosmonauts were used for assessing stress resistance and ability to control own emotions voluntarily. The Mars-500 experiment simulated the basic features of a mission to Mars. The crew consisted of six men aged 27–38 years, who volunteered to spend 520 days in isolation and confinement in the Institute of Biomedical Problems experimental facility in Moscow. To detect personality changes, the volunteers were tested before the experiment and after its completion. According to the test results, the participants of the Mars-500 experiment commonly demonstrated the ability to see the bright sides of a difficult situation, which was most often caused by their social growth. Positive changes were particularly pronounced in the crewmembers, who possessed a better ability to control own emotions. The simulated changes were also beneficial for personal growth of the volunteers.