For my final paper topic, I’d like to do it on the psychology of deadly mountaineering situations. Once a rope snaps, or a leg breaks, instantly an outing of adventure and fun is changed to survival and animalistic tendencies. What are people thinking when they are in a situation they know there is a high likely-hood of dying? Some people break down immediately and start praying to God, maybe others turn to God for the first time and it gives them the strength to push on. Others are able to act logically and efficiently, maybe more so than at any other time. What factors drive individuals psychology in these situations, and what are some general results for people in these situations? We have talked sparingly about this in class, but it has come up in some way or another in almost every reading, and I think it would be a fun topic to dive more into.

As for sources:

http://www.laurieadamsoutdoors.com/blog/2015/6/16/deadly-assumptions-decision-making-in-the-mountain-environment

http://www.examiner.com/article/the-psychology-behind-mountaineering-accidents

http://www.cmu.edu/dietrich/sds/docs/loewenstein/mountaineering.pdf

Also Mountains of the Mind, Mountain Gloom and Mountain Glory. I will also incorporate parts of Annapurna and The White Spider, but mostly as examples of situations of psychology and dangerous situations, as the actors in the books are utilizing them.