Third Man

The Third Man Phenomenon –

The Third Man Phenomenon (also called the Third Man Factor or Third Man Syndrome) is a psychological and anomalous survival experience where a person in extreme distress, isolation, or a life-or-death situation senses an unseen, comforting companion. [1, 2, 3]

Origin of the Name: The term comes from T.S. Eliot’s poem “The Waste Land,” which references an extra person walking beside the speaker. It was popularized by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton’s account of his 1916 Antarctic expedition, where he felt a fourth person traveled with his group of three during a grueling 36-hour mountain trek. [1, 2, 3, 4]