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Changes in personality traits among candidates for special operations forces
Søren Christian Bech1, Jesper Dammeyer1, Jie Liu1,2
1Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Summary
Danish Naval Special Warfare Group (Frogmen) candidates exhibited higher Conscientiousness and Agreeableness pre-training. Post-training, Frogmen candidates showed increased Extraversion and decreased Neuroticism compared to university students.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Military Science
- Human Performance
Background:
- Understanding personality traits is crucial for selecting candidates for demanding roles.
- Intensive training programs can influence psychological characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine personality trait changes in Danish Naval Special Warfare Group (Frogmen) candidates during an intensive training program.
- To compare Frogmen candidates' personality traits with those of university students.
Main Methods:
- The Big Five Inventory (BFI) was administered to 32 male Frogmen candidates before (T1) and after (T2) an eight-month training program.
- A comparative group of 192 first-year university students completed the BFI at enrollment (T1) and one year later (T2).
Main Results:
- Frogmen candidates displayed significantly higher Conscientiousness and Agreeableness than university students at T1.
- By T2, Frogmen candidates showed increased Extraversion and decreased Neuroticism relative to their T1 scores and compared to university students.
Conclusions:
- Intensive military training may foster specific personality developments, such as enhanced extraversion and reduced neuroticism.
- The findings suggest that personality traits can be influenced by rigorous training environments, potentially aiding in operator selection and development.
Keywords:
Elite soldiersintensive trainingpersonality changespersonality traitsspecial operations forcesMore Related Videos
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