Ship as a social space for adaptation: perception of the phenomenon by young seafarers

Training of seafarers is traditionally focusing merely on the ‘occupational’ aspect. Competent seafarers have always been defined as people who have good professional, navigational or engineering skills. However, practice shows that these skills alone are often not enough to solve complex situations at sea. This article attempts to look at life and work at sea as a multidimensional phenomenon. The personal reaction to the social field challenges is unique for every person because of his ideas, feelings, behaviour, needs, moral values and physical attributes. The aim of the presented article is to describe a theoretical research model, which reflects the interaction of young seafarers and a social space on board a ship, and to determine the adaptation and well-being support measures used by young seafarers on board.