Military Psychology
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Military Psychology Dr Mathew McCauley Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology Trinity College, University of Dublin Consultant Military Clinical Psychologist Captain, Medical Corps, Army Reserve Defence Forces Ireland February 2020 Military Psychology Disclaimer: The remarks expressed in this lecture are those of the presenter. They do not necessarily reflect the views of the Irish Defence Forces or other employers for whom the presenter works. Military Psychology •March 1918, Dr Harold Hills arrives at HQ British 4th Army, Western Front and announces himself as its newly-appointed Neurologist: A staff officer said, “What’s a neurologist?” ‘Someone who has made a special study of the nervous system.’ ‘Anything to do with nerves?’ ‘Yes.’ He went to the door, opened it and called out, ‘They’ve sent a man to look after our nerves.’ There were shouts of laughter. Military Psychology • Introduction • History of Military Psychology • Military Culture • Military Operations • Military Mental Health • Control/Management of Operational Mental Health • Summary • Q&A Military Psychology •Professional psychologists have been associated with the military since WWI. •Psychological concepts have been intrinsically intertwined with the historical development of war. Early evidence of war trauma. E.g. Greek historian Herodotus and the warrior Epizelus, during the battle of Marathon in 490BC: • "He suddenly lost sight of both eyes, though nothing had touched him.“ Military Mental Health History Assyrian Dynasty in Mesopotamia between 1300BC and 609BC, the warrior deployment cycle: “…men spent a year being toughened up by building roads, bridges and other projects, before spending a year at war and then returning to their families for a year before starting the cycle again.” "They described hearing and seeing ghosts talking to them, who would be the ghosts of people they'd killed in battle - and that's exactly the experience of modern-day soldiers who've been involved in close hand- to-hand combat.“ (ARU, 2015) Military Mental Health History “Both the Union and Confederate Armies attempted to utilize hospital ships to evacuate their wounded situated in areas near the Atlantic coastline. It has been reported that both armies had to abandon the use of such ships because a large number of individuals suffering from what was then called “nostalgia” practically clogged the gangplanks. This precluded such ships’ properly caring for the physically sick and wounded.” (Allerton, 1969, p. 2) The Civil War saw the first documentation of substance use problems related to combat: abuse and addiction to alcohol, cocaine, morphine, etc as well as substance withdrawal (Dean, 1997; Watanabe, Harig, Rock, & Koshes, 1994). Military Mental Health History WWI saw the US dedicate approx. 400 psychologists to the war effort. Emphasis on psychometric testing for recruitment and selection, including aviation psychology. 1,750,000 men served during the war. 7,800 were recommended “for discharge because of mental inferiority.” 10,014 were recommended for assignment “to labor battalions because of low grade intelligence.” 9,487 were recommended for assignment to “development battalions, in order that they might be more carefully observed and given preliminary training to discover, if possible, ways of using them in the Army” (Yerkes, 1921, p. 99). Military Mental Health History Defining periods for military psychology: WWI (Shell Shock, etc); WWII (testing, selection, triage and care, research); Post- Vietnam Era (PTSD); Post-9/11 (COSC, Treatments, Psychosocial care, Screening, etc) Evolving Discourse: Railway Spine, Disorders of the Heart, Soldiers Heart, War Neurosis, Nostalgia, Operational Exhaustion, Shell Shock, Combat Fatigue/Stress, Battle Fatigue, PTSD Myers, Rivers, Holmes. https://youtu.be/nsSkL3Yl0rA Ireland and Military Mental Health Brig Gen Edward Armstrong Bennet Surg Capt Morgan O’Connell Military Psychology •Military psychology is defined as the science and application of human behaviour as it relates to the military. •Today, military psychologists are primarily, but not exclusively, found in the following contexts: •Clinical; Operational; Organisational; and Research Mental Health & the Military Environment Military Culture • There are four key values that underpin military culture: • Collectivism • Hierarchical Orientation • Identity within an Historical Context • Service-Branch Values (Christian, Stivers, and Sammons, 2009) Military Culture Common cultural themes include: Duty & Honour Integrity & Excellence Mission readiness Clarity of operational objectives Respect for the chain of command Military Operations • Examples: • “War” • “Peace Support Operations (PSO)” – Peace Keeping – Peace Enforcement – Crisis Management • “Military Operations Other Than War” (MOOTW): – Training – Humanitarian – Observational – Aid to Civil Power Psychological Stress in the Military Military Stressors • Military personnel: – Generally healthy population – Face unique stressors, rarely matched in civilian settings – Minority experience mental health problems and require specific support Military Stressors • The art of conflict/war aims to impose so much stress on the enemy soldiers that they lose their will to fight. • Operational Stress is often the deciding factor--the difference between victory and defeat--in all forms of conflict. Pre-Deployment Deployment •Anticipation of loss vs •Mixed emotions/relief denial •Disoriented/overwhelm •Train-up/long hours ed away •Numb, sad, alone •Getting affairs in order •Sleep difficulties •Mental/physical distance •Security issues •Arguments Mental Health and the Sustainment Post-Deployment Cycle of Deployment •New routines •Honeymoon period established •Loss of independence Re-Deployment •New sources of support •Need for “own” space •Anticipation of •Feel more in control homecoming •Renegotiating routines •Independence •Excitement •Reintegration into •Confidence “I can do family •Apprehension this.” •Burst of energy/”nesting” •Difficulty making decisions Military Stressors • Adversity - A state of hardship. • Stress - An organism’s response to pressures and demands. • Stress can have positive and negative effects on functioning. • Positive Effects can enhance performance. • Negative Effects can impair overall functioning. • Types of Stress: Environmental; Physiological; Mental i.e. Cognitive and Emotional; Physical and Mental stressors are often inseparable Dysfunctional Operational Stress Behaviours • Adaptive Behaviors • Dysfunctional Behaviors • Misconduct Stress Behaviors/Criminal Acts • Misconduct: • Mutilating Dead • Torture, Brutality • Recklessness • Looting, Rape • Desertion • Abuse of Sick Call Operational Mental Health Symptoms • Operational Fatigue • Hyper-alertness • Fear, Anxiety, Panic • Anger, Rage • Somatic Complaints • Depression, Indecision • Exhaustion, Apathy • Poorer Performance Adaptive Operational Stress Behaviours • Unit Cohesion • Sense of Eliteness • Alertness and Vigilance • Increased Strength and Endurance • Tolerance for Hardship, Pain, Discomfort • Heroic Acts and Self Sacrifice Addressing Operational Stress • Elimination of stress is both impossible and undesirable. • Stress may lead to Operational Stress Behaviors. • Controlling stress is key to controlling the resultant behaviors. • Stress Inoculation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxOyMUlVWkU Addressing Operational Stress • The armed forces are concerned with how healthy and motivated personnel positively adapt with self-protecting factors, in order to use effective coping mechanisms in the face of adversity. (BAE Systems, 2014) Addressing Operational Stress • What is Psychological Resilience? – “The sum total of psychological processes that permit individuals to maintain or return to previous levels of functioning and wellbeing in response to adversity” (TTCP, 2011) – “The capacity to adapt successfully in the presence of risk and adversity.” (RAND, 2011) – “The ability of the person to withstand or recovery quickly from difficult conditions.” (RAF, 2007) Responsibility for Addressing Operational Stress • Responsibilities for controlling operational stress: • Service Member • Unit cohesiveness Development (rigorous training, etc) • Senior (organisational) leaders’ responsibilities (Clear, competent, and confident CoC; conveying necessary and effective communication via policy and behaviour, etc) • Junior (Direct) leaders’ responsibilities (NCOs conveying Senior CoC policies to the line, etc • Staff Section responsibilities (each section plays its part in stress control • Chaplain’s responsibilities (confidential, neutral, spiritual) • Medical Personnel Responsibilities ( • Mental Health Personnel – Primary responsibility, other than individual Key Principles of Operational Military Psychology • Maximize Combat Stress Prevention • Treat Operational Stress/Fatigue Maximise Prevention • Primary Prevention • Decreases the occurrence of Dysfunctional Operational/Combat Stress Behaviors. • Secondary Prevention • Minimizes Dysfunctional Operational/Combat Stress Behaviors when they first occur. • Tertiary Prevention • Minimizes long term Dysfunctional Operational/ Combat Stress Behaviors and Post Traumatic Stress reactions. 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