SHOWTIME! A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HOW U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS SERVICE MEMBERS COPE WITH DEPLOYMENT STRESS AND HOW U.S. SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM SWIMMERS COPE WITH COMPETITION STRESS TO MAXIMALLY PERFORM

SHOWTIME! A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HOW U.S. SPECIAL OPERATIONS SERVICE MEMBERS COPE WITH DEPLOYMENT STRESS AND HOW U.S. SENIOR NATIONAL TEAM SWIMMERS COPE WITH COMPETITION STRESS TO MAXIMALLY PERFORMJohn R. Havlik Marsha Richardson, PsyD Stress is a universal and prevalent element of human nature. Stress can be positive or negative, and a physical, mental, or emotional condition that dictates how someone reacts and ultimately responds to a stressful event. Individuals cope with stress in different ways; how they cope with stress warrants continued study to identify those strategies and techniques that allow them to best manage and cope with everyday stress. The stressors associated with military deployment can affect a deployed service member’s job performance and health, and their cumulative effects can potentially affect a military unit’s ability to accomplish its deployment mission. Similarly, the stressors associated with a major international athletic competition, like the Olympics, can affect an elite athlete’s health and ability to perform at peak levels. This qualitative study compared how U.S. special operations service members cope with deployment stress and how U.S. senior national team swimmers cope with competition stress to maximally perform. The primary data collection method occurred through conducting in-depth interviews with retired U.S. military special operations service members and active members of the U.S. national swim team. The data collected were analyzed thematically to identify and compare the adaptive stress-coping strategies and techniques used by members of these two highly unique and elite groups to perform at their highest levels, whether in the competition pool or on the battlefield. The results of this study can afford an individual, no matter their life’s profession or occupation, improved stress-coping strategies and techniques to best deal with stress and improve their overall physical and/or mental health and daily task performance. Keywords: Comparative analysis, stress, coping, deployment, competition, performance, military special operators, Olympic-level swimmers