Maritime transport employees’ psychological defense mechanisms and self-management

Following the principle that “transport does not carry the goods, people do”, this study identifies the problematical aspects of professional experience of seafarers as people of maritime transport, as well as personalities in terms of expression of their psychological defense mechanisms and their insights into the possibilities for self-management. The type of the research is a qualitative, pilot and expert study, which has indicated that seafarers are able to recognize their psychological defense mechanisms and can define them quite clearly on the basis of their personal experience of living and working on board a ship. The abilities of seafarers’ intellectual consideration about their experience are acceptable from a point of view of scientific, namely, psychoeducational logic. The development of self-leadership and transformational leadership skills may help to partially control defensive reactions, and should be an appropriate tool to psychologically stabilize the seafarers’ professional activities in terms of possibilities to create more constructive relationships among them in a team while achieving the common purpose of transportation.