Naval postgraduate school monterey, california thesis

D. 
THE BIORHYTHM MODEL 
The following section will introduce some of the theory on biorhythms and 
explain how it relates to hostage rescue operations. Biorhythm theory states that our lives 
are influenced by physical, emotional, intellectual, and in some cases even intuitional 
cycles, which begin at birth. At birth, all four states start and begin to rise to a positive 
peak; then they slowly decline to their low point. On a day where the cycle crosses the 
critical point, one’s abilities can vary wildly. Many major corporations have biorhythm 
programs on their computers for use in planning important meetings and other events.
Some airlines are also known to use biorhythm charts to plan pilot’s schedules 
(Information retrieved from www.mcuniverse.com on 5 August 2004).
26
One of the most impressive forms of a feint was displayed during the De Punt Train rescue in 
Holland in June of 1977, by Dutch Marines from the BBE (CT unit) against 13 South Moluccan terrorists.
Dutch star-fighter aircrafts flew over the hijacked train and kicked in their afterburners right over it, 
creating a loud and thunderous diversion to cover the approach and assault of the rescue force onto the train 
(see case study Chapter IX).
27
Information retrieved from the Joint Publication 3-58, 1998, and from Military Deception Course at 
the Naval Postgraduate School with Dr. Barton Whaley, 2003.

---

20 
Standard biorhythm theory, which is very simple to understand, is viewed with 
skepticism throughout the medical community. This skepticism is due mainly because it 
is almost impossible to assign a fixed number of days to its cycles and automatically 
assume that they will remain as such for the rest of someone’s life. Most biorhythms 
concentrate on four standard cycles: the 
physical
cycle is 23 days long and it influences a 
broad range of physical factors such as resistance to disease, strength, co-ordination, 
speed, physiology, endurance, and the sensation of physical well-being. The 
emotional 
cycle lasts 28 days and governs creativity, sensitivity, mental health, love, hate, 
optimism, pessimism, passion, coldness, depression, elation, mood, and perceptions of 
the world and ourselves. The 
intellectual
cycle, which takes place over a 33-day period, 
regulates memory, alertness, receptivity to knowledge, and the logical or analytical 
functions of the mind: reasoning ability, and accuracy of computations. The 
intuitional
cycle, which takes place over a 38-day period, affects our unconscious perception, 
hunches, and instincts; a sort of sixth sense
28
. This cycle is the least portrayed in most 
biorhythm literature or commercial programs available through the Internet. On the day 
of birth, each cycle starts at a neutral baseline or zero point and begins to rise in a 
positive phase, during which the energies and abilities are high. A very simple computer 
program can run the equation for a sinusoidal wave divided by the days for the period of 
the cycle, to provide an output similar to the one on Figure 4.
Another important term in the biorhythm is the 
critical phase.
This is the short 
period (usually one-two days depending on the rhythm), when a rhythm is crossing over 
to a different phase. During this short time, there is a greater risk of error or accident. In 
fact, studies have shown that there is a 30-60% greater risk of an accident during those 
few critical days that a person experiences every month. Although there is no concrete 
scientific evidence that supports biorhythm theories, the analogy is useful for 
understanding the different efficiency cycles of the human body and how these relate to 
the hostage crisis model.
The following chart, taken from the Internet, shows a typical biorhythm program 
that can calculate a person’s biorhythm simply by knowing the individual’s date of birth:
28
For further details and personal biorhythm plots go to 
www.mcuniverse.com
, last accessed on 5 
August 2004. 

---

21 
Figure 4.
Author’s Personal Biorhythm (www.krstarica.com, last accessed on 16 
August 2004) 
29
For the purpose of this thesis, the term biorhythm is strictly used to make the 
comparison between the cyclical changes in the biological state of human beings with the 
changes in the proposed hostage rescue operation’s principles: intelligence, surprise, 
operator’s skill, and deception. These imperatives behave in very similar manner to a 
human biorhythm, therefore the analogy for the model. The term is specifically useful to 
understand the