432 



PHYSIOLOGY OF STRESS 



duty, fatigue, emotion, etc. Among the bet- 

 ter indicators is the color naming test of Bills 

 (8) and various devices of the serial sequence 

 and pursuitmeter type described in the lit- 

 erature. The experiments of Patrick (89) 

 involving escape from a variably locked com- 

 partment is of this class. Many tests in- 

 volving frustration and the development of 

 "neurosis" on breakdown of perceptual dis- 

 crimination belong to this group. (See Sec- 

 tion V, 8.) 



3. Tests of physiological reaction to emo- 

 tional stimuli. Such tests may combine the 

 various "expressive" indicators into batteries 

 and attempt to determine the pattern of or- 

 ganic response following various stimuh. 

 Such tests may attempt to determine the 

 sympathetic or parasympathetic and muscu- 

 lar tension components of the individual's 

 emotional response. Studies 19, 22, 72, 75, 

 81, 94, 100, and 101 are of this type. 



4. Tests of chronic status or conditions of 

 internally maintained level in the absence of 

 stimulation. A number of studies (59, 90, 

 100) are primarily of this type. 



Factor analysis of data obtained by bat- 

 teries of such tests to provide information 

 regarding outstanding factors in human ad- 

 justment is mentioned as a promising de- 

 velopment. Various authors (19, 86, 94, 98, 

 and 101) have demonstrated possible apph- 

 cations of factor analysis in tliis field. How- 

 ever evaluated and weighted, the develop- 

 ment and perfection of a psychophysiological 

 strain gauge from such components would be 

 a valuable contribution. 



IV. The Role of Consciousness in 

 Behavior, Emotion, Affect, 

 and Morale 



Emotion is here identified with the bodily 

 changes in excess of, inappropriate to, and 

 too disorganized for effective motor adjust- 

 ment. "Conscious" emotion is identified 

 with the awareness of those changes. 

 "Affective value" has been inferred for those 

 changes to the extent that they have mean- 

 ing or value to the individual as the result 



of previous experience. But this survey 

 would be incomplete if it stopped there and 

 gave no consideration to the part the con- 

 scious aspect of these activities may con- 

 tribute in the reaction to stress or to what 

 in general terms may be designated the main- 

 tenance of "morale." 



If by morale we here mean those psycho- 

 logical conditions contributing to effective 

 individual and group behavior on board sub- 

 marines, and if we assume conscious states 

 and attitudes to be important aspects of 

 those psychological conditions, we may 

 properly inquire concerning their mode of op- 

 eration. Is consciousness a factor in effec- 

 tive behavior? Is it an influence in break- 

 down under stress? This obviously is no 

 place for metaphysical discussion or for di- 

 gression on the dangers of dualistic thinking, 

 but if conscious affect has a real and con- 

 tributing influence on the submariner's per- 

 formance under stress, it should be possible 

 to fit it into our thinking on the problem. 



A . A Functional View of Consciousness: 

 Analogy to Radar 



That the sensory awareness of the on- 

 going bodily processes of the moment pro- 

 vides a background upon which is projected 

 an image or representation of that to which 

 we are then directing attention seems a fair 

 formulation. To develop the analogy fur- 

 ther, it appears that consciousness may be 

 hkened to the image on a radar or television 

 screen (see Halstead's analogy to an ampU- 

 fier, 58), into which is integrated in meaning- 

 ful poly-dimensional pattern the innumerable 

 sensory contributions by the body's myriads 

 of sensory (including proprioceptive) recep- 

 tors. By the use of certain controls we may, 

 with practice, shift the image, change the 

 focus, or select the source of stimulation. 

 We may look this way or that, recall this 

 event or that, or concentrate on this detail 

 or that — outside or inside the body or within 

 the range of remembered experience. So 

 far as we are aware, the only dehberate thing 

 we do is somehow to change the composition 



