science

Third man factor

Third man factor is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Third man factor rather than just read about it. In short: The third man factor, third man effect, or third person syndrome refers to reported situations where a perceived unseen presence, such as a spirit, provides comfort or support during a traumatic experience. It is most commonly experienced by mountain climbers.

Key takeaways

Third man factor belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Third man factor to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Third man factor from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The third man factor, third man effect, or third person syndrome refers to reported situations where a perceived unseen presence, such as a spirit, provides comfort or support during a traumatic experience. It is most commonly experienced by mountain climbers. Solo sailors, shipwreck survivors, and polar explorers are also known to have reported the phenomenon.

History Sir Ernest Shackleton, in his 1919 book South, described his belief that an incorporeal companion joined him and his men during the final leg of his 1914–1917 Antarctic expedition, which became stranded in pack ice for more than two years and endured immense hardships in the attempt to reach safety. Shackleton wrote, "during that long and racking march of thirty-six hours over the unnamed mountains and glaciers of South Georgia, it seemed to me often that we were four, not three." His admission resulted in other survivors of extreme hardship coming forward and sharing similar experiences.

Lines 359 through 365 of T. S. Eliot's 1922 modernist poem The Waste Land were inspired by Shackleton's experience, as stated by the author in the notes included with the work. It is the reference to "the third" in this poem that has given this phenomenon its name (when it could occur to even a single person in danger). In recent years, well-known adventurers like climber Reinhold Messner and polar explorers Peter Hillary and Ann Bancroft have reported experiencing the phenomenon. One study of cases involving adventurers reported that the largest group involved climbers, with solo sailors and shipwreck survivors being the second most common group, followed by polar explorers. A similar experience was documented by mountain climber Joe Simpson in his 1988 book Touching the Void, which recounts his near-death experience in the Peruvian Andes. Simpson describes "a voice" which encouraged him and directed him as he crawled back to base camp after suffering a leg injury high on Siula Grande and falling off a cliff and into a crevasse. Some journalists have related this to the concept of a guardian angel or imaginary friend. Scientific explanations consider the phenomenon a coping mechanism or an example of bicameral mentality. The concept was popularized by a 2009 book by John G. Geiger, The Third Man Factor, which documents scores of examples. Modern psychologists have used the "third man factor" to treat victims of trauma. The "cultivated inner character" lends support and comfort.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Third man factor

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Third man factor claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Third man factor before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Third man factor ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Third man factor

In research: Third man factor appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Third man factor in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Third man factor is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Near-death experiences, Parapsychology, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Third man factor outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Third man factor in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Third man factor means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Third man factor out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Third man factor in simple terms?

Why does Third man factor matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Third man factor?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Third man factor.