‘Into the danger-zone’: How intersubjective processes rooted in social identities shape responses to existential threats

Abstract

How do individuals who engage in high-risk work deal with the existential threats that are part and parcel of their daily activities? Based on a qualitative study of fighter pilots, we find that experiences and responses to existential threats are shaped by three intersubjective processes, that is, socially constructed and accepted patterns of interactions by which individuals come to view existential threats as one of several challenges of their work, something that is common yet unremarkable. These processes draw from and impinge upon cherished social identities to inculcate in individuals: (1) a preoccupation with performance as a precondition for continued membership, thereby crowding out death anxiety; (2) a willingness to withstand no-holds barred collective scrutiny, thereby keeping their egos under check, and enhancing learning and safety; and (3) a view of death as a commonplace and therefore unremarkable facet of their activities. The contribution of our study is to illuminate the intersubjective processes implicated in the development of social identities that enable individuals in high-risk work to function effectively despite the existential threats they face.