Psychology of Survival Article

Thanks. I'm going to print that out. I read Lawrence Gonzales' book, Deep Survival, last summer and really enjoyed it. I've used some of the ideas in counseling work I do.
 
Reminds me of the story of a pilot who went down in Alaska. Rescuers arrived in good time but the pilot was totally unable psychologically to deal with with the situation so he killed himself before rescue !!
 
Gonsalves' book is a great read. The bit about him not taking that flight that went down is just amazing. Talk about following your instincts!

If you enjoy survival accounts, I highly recommend these:

Adrift by Steven Callahan. This dude is the ultimate survivor in my eyes. Stranded at sea in an inflatable dinghy, he made it despite very heavy odds. Incredible courage.

Alive by Piers Paul Reid. The story of the Uraguyan rugby team that crashed in the Andes. They survived by eating their dead comrades until two of them decided they'd have to go for help or perish. Amazing story.

Between a Rock and a Hard Place by Aron Ralston. Aron kinda reminds of the guy in Into the Wild. Sort of a reckless personality. He made a lot of mistakes (chief among them not telling people where he was going) which made his predicament life threatening but his escape from the 1 ton rock that pinned him makes for a great read nontheless.
 
I remember reading something when I was a teenager (about 50 years ago) that during the Second World War, when the European Merchant Marine transport boats were being sunk, it was the older sailors who were the more common survivors. They had been fishermen all their lives and used to long hours in very uncomfortable seas, knowing they just had to 'tough if out' and not give up. The young sailors just didn't have the right mind set for survival.

Stitchawl
 
It seems like everything else in life 99.9% mental. Since I consider preparation to be primarily a mental exercise anyway, I will include it in that.
 
We deal with survival issues in my line of work (Firefighter). All of my classes/training ends with the same mantra: NEVER GIVE UP. From recruit school to advanced classes that's the mindset they work to instill. I'm sure it's the same for someone stranded in the wilds. If you don't give up, then you still have a chance.

Off topic a bit but I remember in recruit school one of my fellow recruits yelling that he couldn't do something on the drill field one too many times. He was in the burn building saying that he couldn't advance a hoseline any further. The head instructor yelled back at him that if he was just going to give up he should at least have the decency to toss his gear out the window before it burned up so that someone who wasn't a quitter could use it :D
 
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