The myth of 'getting through uncertainty': understanding extreme context and other contexts of uncertainty

The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand the nature of uncertainty and extreme context, as well the relationship between them. The study describes uncertainty as the environment that is either unknown, i.e. where conditions can potentially become known but they are just not known to the given actors, at the given place and time; or unknowable, i.e. impossible to know in principle (Dörfler & Bas, unpublished). The study positions extreme context as a special case of uncertainty, highlights prominent features of extreme context, and outlines the cycle of advancing under the conditions of uncertainty. In addition, the study offers a description of red flags that may precede extreme context; understanding red flags helps contour our understanding of uncertainty and extreme context. COVID-19 became the backdrop for the study, and this research heavily relies on data collected from and about clinicians responding to the first wave of COVID-19 in New York area.