Boating Decision-Making 251
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Hazardous Attitudes and
Antidotes
Being fit for boating depends on more than
just a boater’s physical condition and recent
experience. For example, attitude will affect
the quality of decisions. Attitude is a motivational
predisposition to respond to people,
situations, or events in a given manner.
Studies have identified five hazardous attitudes
that can interfere with the ability to
make sound decisions and exercise authority
properly: anti-authority, impulsivity,
invulnerability, macho, and resignation.
The Five Hazardous
Attitudes
Anti-Authority: “Don’t tell me.”
This attitude is found in people who do not
like anyone telling them what to do. In a
sense, they are saying, “No one can tell me
what to do They may be resentful of having
someone tell them what to do, or may
regard rules, regulations, and procedures as
silly or unnecessary. However, it is always
your prerogative to question authority if
you feel it is in error.
Impulsivity: “Do it quickly.”
This is the attitude of people who frequently
feel the need to do something, anything,
immediately. They do not stop to
think about what they are about to do; they
do not select the best alternative, and they
do the first thing that comes to mind.
Invulnerability: “It won’t happen to me.”
Many people falsely believe that accidents
happen to others, but never to them. They
know accidents can happen, and they know
that anyone can be affected. However, they
never really feel or believe that they will be
personally involved. Boaters who think this
way are more likely to take chances and
increase risk.
Macho: “I can do it.”
Boaters who are always trying to prove that
they are better than anyone else think, “I
can do it—I’ll show them.” Boaters with
this type of attitude will try to prove themselves
by taking risks in order to impress
others. While this pattern is thought to be
a male characteristic, women are equally
susceptible.
Resignation: “What’s the use?”
Boaters who think, “What’s the use?” do
not see themselves as being able to make
a great deal of difference in what happens
to them. When things go well, the boater
is apt to think that it is good luck. When
things go badly, the boater may feel that
someone is out to get me, or attribute it to
bad luck. The boater will leave the action
to others, for better or worse. Sometimes,
such boaters will even go along with unreasonable
requests just to be a “nice guy.”
Hazardous attitudes contribute to poor
boater judgment but can be effectively
counteracted by redirecting the hazardous
attitude so that correct action can be taken.
Recognition of hazardous thoughts is the
first step toward neutralizing them. After
recognizing a thought as hazardous, the
boater should label it as hazardous, then
state the corresponding antidote. Antidotes
should be memorized for each of
the hazardous attitudes so they automatically
come to mind when needed. When
boating, the boater makes many decisions
under often strenuous conditions. The
degree of RISK must be determined and
determine the best course of action to mitigate
the risk.
Assessing Risk
For the single boater, assessing risk is not as
simple as it sounds. For example, the boater
acts as his or her own quality control in
making decisions. If a fatigued boater who
has been boating 16 hours is asked if he or
she is too tired to continue boating, the
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