Abstract
Elite male athletes have been portrayed as possessing positive mental health. On standardized measures of mood, they typically score below average on tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion while they score above average on vigor. This mood pattern has been labeled the “iceberg profile” because scores on unhealthful moods fall below the adult norm, while scores on the healthy mood, vigor, fall above the norm. The elite athlete's iceberg profile of moods is generally regarded as a result of physical training and competition. In this study, mood profiles of male military personnel were measured. U.S. Army soldiers and U.S. Marines both exhibited a flattened iceberg profile, scoring no higher than average on the positive mood vigor. In contrast, Special Operations Forces, who are noted for adherence to very demanding exercise routines, exhibited the iceberg profile typical of the elite male athlete: they had a higher than normal vigor score and lower than normal tension, depression, anger, fatigue, and confusion scores.
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