The Space Station as a Model for Intercultural Cooperation

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PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

“I think just the fact that we’re living up here in this very unique place gives you an amazing perspective—not only (with the view) out the window, obviously, but also just on how to solve problems, and I don’t want to lose that spark of inspiration.”-Astronaut Suni Williams

I hope one of those problems Suni mentions is how well we humans get along… or not.

Perhaps sometime over the last 9 months, you noticed that 2 NASA astronauts were stuck at the International Space Center due to a malfunction—quite a difference from the few days of stay expected. Over that gestation period, they and their support system on earth seemed to show remarkable patience, skill, compassion, and creativity over that time, some of the best positive psychiatry characteristics. They are due back on earth this evening.

The replacement crew arrived last Sunday, representing NASA, the Japanese space agency, and the Russian space agency. It was this variety of cultural and international backgrounds that also got my attention. It reminded me that apparent enemies on earth—say, Russia and the United States—can be so cooperative in space. Can that have any implications for better cultural cooperation on earth?

Here is what the space international partnership did to evolve from competition to some collaboration. For decades, a competition for leadership in space seemed to alternate with a more cooperative approach.¹ For instance, in 1967, there was a United Nations resolution by the United States and Japan to prevent the development of nuclear arms in outer space, but Russia vetoed the resolution. Last year, the relationship of the United States and Japan continued to evolve, with President Biden’s announcement that Japan’s astronauts would join an upcoming Artemis mission, projecting the first time a non-American would set foot on the moon. With the Russians and the United States, we have gone from the Russian Sputnik lead to teams of both Russian and American astronauts. For shifting alliances, we must remember that Japan was a dangerous enemy and Russia an ally in World War II.

The challenge now is to steer an international coalition of traditional allies, traditional enemies, emerging space nations, and innovative private entities. The United States has been prioritizing African countries such as Rwanda and Nigeria to join the Artemis accords. Some other African countries, though, are joining China.

There has been social psychological research over time that has relevance for helpful cooperation over damaging competition.² In the 1954 Robbers Cave Experiment with young male teenagers at summer camp, their division into 2 competitive groups caused increasing friction and fights over inadequate resources. One group burned the other’s flag, for instance. Attempts to resolve the tension through friendly encounters like meals together did not work, one devolving into a food fight. But shared challenges, like fixing the camp’s sabotaged water supply, stimulated ongoing cooperation. However, a good many of the boys, “normal” at the time, later developed traumatic repercussions. Those might have not done so well with our modern adverse childhood experiences assessment tool.

Perhaps some of the boys’ problematic behavior has been repeated in another kind of current social and scientific experiment, this one in Antarctic. As The Times reported yesterday in the article, “Trapped Antarctic Scientists Plead for Rescue after ‘Assault,’” South African researchers there have been reportedly attacked by one of their own and apparently are 10 months from possible rescue. There has been a mental health team at home as part of the support system.³

Our challenge in space is its peaceful exploration, giving humanity another chance for better cooperation, the kind exhibited by these astronauts. As the jazz great Sun Ra catchingly chanted over and over about the potential future: “Space is the Place.”

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He presented the third Rabbi Jeffrey B. Stiffman lecture at Congregation Shaare Emeth in St. Louis on Sunday, May 19, 2024. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

References

1. Holiday S, Bolden C. The new space race: international partnerships (op-ed). Space.com. June 30, 2024. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://www.space.com/the-new-space-race-international-partnerships

2. Konnikova M. Revisiting Robbers Cave: the easy spontaneity of intergroup conflict. Scientific American. September 5, 2012. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/literally-psyched/revisiting-the-robbers-cave-the-easy-spontaneity-of-intergroup-conflict/

3. Bartlett K, Kolirin L. Trapped Antarctic scientists plead for rescue after ‘assault’. The Times. March 17, 2025. Accessed March 18, 2025. https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/antarctica-travel/trapped-antarctic-scientists-plea-for-rescue-from-colleague-after-assault-r86v7jqz0