Motivation can get you started, but it rarely stays at its peak when the challenge becomes exhausting. That is one reason the psychology of US Navy SEAL training has attracted researchers interested in resilience, stress and human performance. Becoming a SEAL involves prolonged physical and psychological demands, making BUD/S training an unusual real-world setting for studying how people respond when discomfort, fatigue and uncertainty keep piling up. Research involving SEAL candidates suggests that resilience is not simply about having an unusually tough personality. This can include the way people understand stress, control emotions, set goals and handle problems that arise. This is a valuable lesson from these studies that can be applied to real life. The lesson is that when motivation runs out, psychological resources will help people function.
