User:Mary2brown/ModifiedArticle2

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This is my second sandbox for working on my second psychology article modification. Here are the new references I am adding to the article: 

http://hdl.handle.net/10945/30286
http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=384149
http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=355592
http://www.igetdoc.com/ddata/84.pdf#page=52
http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/ella/notinmyname/chapter5.htm
http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/download/1878/1961
https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/documentstore/docs09/pdf/picj/vol2/issue1/Psychological_Warfare_and_Terrorism.pdf


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Military psychology is the research, design and application of psychological theories and empirical data towards understanding, predicting and countering behaviours either in friendly or enemy forces or civilian population that may be undesirable, threatening or potentially dangerous to the conduct of military operations. Military psychology transforms from sub-branch groups of different psychology disciplines into a tool used by the military, as will all tools of the military, to enable the troops to better survive the stresses of war while using psychological principles to unbalance the enemy forces for easier wins.[1] All stresses and psychological illnesses that military psychology looks at are not specific only to the military. However, the military soldiers tend to face a specific combination of these otherwise generic stresses. Military psychology then specializes in looking at this unique combination of stresses that plagues the military and war settings. These stresses include post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), guilt, family difficulties with the veteran's spouse, nightmares and flashbacks, and many more. [2] Military psychology is applied towards counseling and treatment of stress and fatigue of military personnel or military families as well as treatment of psychological trauma suffered as a result of military operations.


Common Roles of Military Psychologists on the Ground[edit]

The military by nature finds its truest purpose in chaotic and trauma filled situations. These situations can include the front-lines of battle or the disaster scenes they are providing relief-aid for. Though many psychologists may have an understanding to a humans response to traumatic situations. Many military psychologists shine here. While the solders may be providing psychical aid to the victims of events, the military psychologists are providing aid to both soldiers and victims as they cope with the circumstances of whatever has transpired.[3]

Keeping along the the same intensity lines as the previous example, military psychologists often study, train people in, and consult on hostage negations. Though the psychologists might not be the one directly handling the situation, many principles used are psychology principles straight from the playbook of the military psychologists. [4]

Another highly common area for Military psychologists is in Fit for Duty evaluations.[5] Due to the fact that military life posses a set of unique challenges, fit for duty evaluations seek to allow the military to maintain its structured workplace by maximizing retention of incoming service men and women while minimizing violence. There are both basic entry examinations and examinations conducted when individuals are seeking higher clearance status, specialized working conditions, and when commanders become concerned about the mental state individuals working under their command.[6] These evaluations must be conducted by non-biased individuals and need to examine as much of past history as possible.

Another use of military psychology is in interrogation of prisoners who may provide information that would enhance outcomes of friendly military operations or reduce friendly casualties. Psychology principles applied here allow the interrogator to get as much information without crossing the Geneva Convention's guidelines. [7]

Area of study[edit]

The goals and missions of current military psychologists have been retained over the years, varying with the focus and strength of intensity of research put forth into each sector. The need for mental health care is now an expected part of high-stress military environments.[8] The importance and severity of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has finally gained more credibility than those suffering from it received in the past, and is being highlighted in treatment programs. More extensive post-deployment screenings take place now to home in on problematic recoveries that used to be passed unnoticed and untreated.

Women in military roles is an area of study of study receiving an increasing amount of attention. Currently women make up 10%-15% of the armed forces. As women tended to move to away from nursing and helping roles, increasing attention is given to how the brutal realities of combat would affect the women psychologically. Interesting research shows that, when affected, women tend to ask for help, more so than men, thus avoiding many of the long term mental suffering that male soldiers face after their deployment has ended.[9]

Terrorism/Psychological warfare is another branch of military psychology. To begin this subject, the commonly referenced stereotype that terrorists are mentally cases and perfect candidates for eager psychiatrists needs to be throw out. The actual root purpose and methods of terrorism is what make it fall under the purview of psychology. The goal of a terrorist is to use an event to mentally mess with their enemy and cause behavior change. This basic behaviorism approach mimics and elevates the classic rat and mice training studies to a whole new degree. Psychologists examines the types of rewards and punishments that the terrorists employes to fit their agenda and shape the public's thoughts and actions.[10]

Operational psychology[edit]

Operational psychology is the use of psychological principles and skills to improve a military commander's decision making as it pertains to conducting combat and/or related operations. This is a relatively new subdiscipline categorization that has been employed largely by psychologists and behavioral scientists in military, intelligence, and law enforcement arenas. While psychology has been utilized in non-health related fields for many decades, recent years have seen an increased focus on its national security applications. Examples of such applications include the development of counterinsurgency strategy through human profiling, interrogation and detention support, information-psychological operations, and the selection of personnel for special mission units.[11]

Health, organizational, and occupational psychology[edit]

Military psychologists perform work in a variety of areas, to include operating mental health and family counseling clinics, performing research to help select recruits for the armed forces, determining which recruits will be best suited for various military occupational specialties, and performing analysis on humanitarian and peacekeeping missions to determine procedures that could save military and civilian lives. Some military psychologists also work to improve the lives of service personnel and their families. Other military psychologists work with large social policy programs within the military that are designed to increase diversity and equal opportunity.[12]

More modern programs employ the skills and knowledge of military psychologists to address issues such as integrating diverse ethnic and racial groups into the military and reducing sexual assault and discrimination. Others assist in the employment of women in combat positions and other positions traditionally held by men. Some military psychologists help to utilize low-capability recruits and rehabilitate drug-addicted and wounded service members. They are in charge of drug testing and psychological treatment for lifestyle problems, such as alcohol and substance abuse. In modern times, the advisement of military psychologists are being heard and taken more seriously into consideration for national policy than ever before[13]

There are now more psychologists employed by the United States Department of Defense than by any other organization in the world. Since the downsizing of the military in the 1990s, however, there has been a considerable reduction in psychological research and support in the armed forces as well.[14]

History[edit]

Psychological stress and disorders have always been a part of military life, especially during and after wartime, but the mental health section of military psychology has not always experienced the awareness it does now. Even in the present day there is much more research and awareness needed concerning this area.

One of the first institutions created to care for military psychiatric patients was St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington D.C.. Formerly known as the United States Government Hospital for the Insane, the hospital was founded by Congress in 1855 and is currently in a state of disrepair although operational, with revitalization plans scheduled to begin in 2010.[15][16]

Early work[edit]

In 1890 James McKeen Cattell coined the term “mental tests.” Cattell studied under Wundt at Leipzig in Germany at one point during his life and strongly advocated for psychology to be viewed as a science on par with the physical and life sciences.[17] He promoted the need for standardization of procedures, use of norms, and advocated the use of statistical analysis to study individual differences. He was unwavering in his opposition to America’s involvement in World War I.[18]

Lightner Witmer, who also spent some time working under Wundt,[19] changed the scene for psychology forever from his position at the University of Pennsylvania when he coined the term “clinical psychology” and outlined a program of training and study. This model for clinical psychology is still followed in modern times. Eleven years later in 1907 Witmer founded the journal The Psychological Clinic.[20]

Also in 1907, a routine psychological screening plan for hospitalized psychiatric patients was developed by Shepard Ivory Franz, civilian research psychologist at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Two years later, under the leadership of William Alanson White, St. Elizabeth’s Hospital became known for research and training of psychiatrists and military medical officers. In 1911 Hebert Butts, a Navy medical officer stationed at St. Elizabeths, published the first protocol for psychological screening of Navy recruits based on Franz's work.[21]

Intelligence testing in the United States military[edit]

Lewis M. Terman, a professor at Stanford University,[22] revised the Binet-Simon Scale in 1916, renaming it the Stanford-Binet Revision. This test was the beginning of the “Intelligence Testing Movement” and was administered to over 170,000 soldiers in the United States Army during World War I. Yerkes published the results of these tests in 1921 in a document that became known as the Army Report.[23]

There were two tests that initially made up the intelligence tests for the military: Army Alpha and Army Beta tests. They were developed to evaluate vast numbers of military recruits that were both literate (Army Alpha tests) and illiterate (Army Beta tests). The Army Beta test were designed to “measure native intellectual capacity.” [24] The Army Beta test also helped to test non-English speaking service members.[25]

The standardized intelligence and entrance tests that have been used for each military branch in the United States has transformed over the years. Finally, in 1974, “the Department of Defense decided that all Services should use the ASVAB for both screening enlistees and assigning them to military occupations. Combining selection and classification testing made the testing process more efficient. It also enabled the Services to improve the matching of applicants with available job positions and allowed job guarantees for those qualified.” This went fully into effect in 1976.[26]

Yerkes and war[edit]

Robert M. Yerkes, while he was president of the American Psychological Association (APA) in 1917, worked with E. B. Titchener and a group of psychologists that were known as the “Experimentalists.” Their work resulted in formulating a plan for APA members to offer their professional services to the World War I effort, even though Yerkes was known for being opposed to America being involved in the war at all. It was decided that psychologists could provide support in developing methods for selection of recruits and treatment of war victims.[27] This was spurred, in part, by America’s growing interest in the work of Alfred Binet in France on mental measurement, as well as the scientific management movement to enhance worker productivity.[28]

In 1919, Yerkes was commissioned as a major in the U.S. Army Medical Service Corps. In a plan proposed to the Surgeon General, Yerkes wrote: "The Council of the American Psychological Association is convinced that in the present emergency American psychology can substantially serve the Government, under the medical corps of the Army and Navy, by examining recruits with respect to intellectual deficiency, psychopathic tendencies, nervous instability, and inadequate self-control." [29]

Also in 1919, the Army Division of Psychology in the Medical Department was established at the medical training camp at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, to train personnel to provide mental testing of large groups.[30]

This was also the era when the condition referred to as “shell shock” was first seriously studied by psychologists and standardized screening tests for pilots were administered.[31]

World War II[edit]

World War II ushered in an era of substantial growth for the psychological field, centering around four major areas: testing for individual abilities, applied social psychology, instruction and training, and clinical psychology.[32]

During this war, The Army General Classification Test (AGCT) and the Navy General Classification Test (NGCT) were used in place of the Army Alpha and Army Beta tests, for similar purposes.[33]

The United States Army had no unified program for the use of clinical psychologists until 1944, towards the end of World War II. Before this time, no clinical psychologists were serving in Army hospitals under the supervision of psychiatrists. This had to do with psychologists’ opposition to this type of service and also to the limited role the Army assigned to psychiatry. At this time, the only psychiatric interview that was being processed on the ever-increasing numbers of military recruits lasted only three minutes and could only manage to weed out the severely disturbed recruits. Under these conditions, it was impossible to determine which seemingly normal recruits would crack under the strain of military duties, and the need for clinical psychologists grew. Finally, by 1945 there were over 450 clinical psychologists serving in the Army.[34]

Military psychology matured well past the areas aforementioned that concerned psychologists up until this time, branching off into sectors that included military leadership, the effects of environmental factors on human performance, military intelligence, psychological operations and warfare (such as Special Forces like PSYOPS), selection for special duties, and the influences of personal background, attitudes, and the work group on soldier motivation and morals.[35]

Korean War[edit]

This was the first war where clinical psychologists served overseas. They were positioned in hospitals as well as combat zones. Their particular roles were vague, broad, and fairly undefined, except for the Air Force who provided detailed job descriptions for psychologists’ positions. The Air Force also outlined the standardized tests and procedures for evaluating recruits that were to be used.[36]

Vietnam War[edit]

There were significant challenges that obstructed the regular use of psychologists to support combat troops in this war. The mental health teams were very small, usually only consisting of one psychiatrist, one psychologist, and three or four enlisted corpsmen. Quite often, medical officers, including psychologists, were working in severe conditions with little or no field experience.[37] Despite these challenges, military psychiatry had improved compared to previous wars, which focused on maximizing function and minimizing disability by preventive and therapeutic measures.[38] There were fewer psychiatric casualties than previous wars also.

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ http://hdl.handle.net/10945/30286
  2. ^ http://lib.myilibrary.com.libproxy.clemson.edu/Open.aspx?id=355592
  3. ^ http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=384149
  4. ^ http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=384149
  5. ^ http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=355592
  6. ^ http://www.igetdoc.com/ddata/84.pdf#page=52
  7. ^ http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/ella/notinmyname/chapter5.htm
  8. ^ Kennedy, C. H. & Zillmer, E. A. (2006) Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications. Guilford Press: New York, NY.
  9. ^ http://journals.iupui.edu/index.php/advancesinsocialwork/article/download/1878/1961
  10. ^ https://kucampus.kaplan.edu/documentstore/docs09/pdf/picj/vol2/issue1/Psychological_Warfare_and_Terrorism.pdf
  11. ^ Staal, M. & Stephenson, J. (2006). Operational Psychology: An Emerging Subdiscipline. Military Psychology, 18(4), 269-282
  12. ^ Division 19 Society for Military Psychology. (2009). About Military Psychology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.apadivisions.org/division-19/about/index.aspx
  13. ^ Division 19 Society for Military Psychology. (2009). About Military Psychology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.apadivisions.org/division-19/about/index.aspx
  14. ^ Division 19 Society for Military Psychology. (2009). About Military Psychology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.apadivisions.org/division-19/about/index.aspx
  15. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  16. ^ U.S. National Library of Medicine. (2006). Saint Elizabeth’s Hospital. Retrieved December 1, 2009, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/medtour/elizabeths.html
  17. ^ Plucker, J. A. (Ed.). (2003). Human intelligence: Historical influences, current controversies, teaching resources. Retrieved November 19, 2009, from http://www.indiana.edu/~intell
  18. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  19. ^ Grassetti, S. (2007). Lightner Witmer. Retrieved December 3, 2009, from http://www.pabook.libraries.psu.edu/palitmap/bios/Witmer__Lightner.html
  20. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  21. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  22. ^ Plucker, J. A. (Ed.). (2003). Human intelligence: Historical influences, current controversies, teaching resources. Retrieved November 19, 2009, from http://www.indiana.edu/~intell
  23. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  24. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  25. ^ History of Military Testing. ASVAB: Official Site of the ASVAB. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://officialasvab.com/history_coun.htm
  26. ^ History of Military Testing. ASVAB: Official Site of the ASVAB. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://officialasvab.com/history_coun.htm
  27. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  28. ^ Division 19 Society for Military Psychology. (2009). Military Psychology Overview. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.apadivision19.org/overview.htm
  29. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  30. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  31. ^ Xiao, H. (2007). News and Headlines: CWU Lecture to Outline History of Military Psychology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.cwu.edu/~relation/pr-jan23-07.html
  32. ^ Xiao, H. (2007). News and Headlines: CWU Lecture to Outline History of Military Psychology. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.cwu.edu/~relation/pr-jan23-07.html
  33. ^ History of Military Testing. ASVAB: Official Site of the ASVAB. Retrieved November 21, 2009, from http://officialasvab.com/history_coun.htm
  34. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  35. ^ Division 19 Society for Military Psychology. (2009). Military Psychology Overview. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www.apadivision19.org/overview.htm
  36. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  37. ^ Michels, K. (2004). Intelligence Testing in the United States Military. Retrieved October 29, 2009, from http://www.historyofmilitarypsychology.com/index.html
  38. ^ United States Veterans Administration and Dept. of Medicine and Surgery (1972). The Vietnam veteran in contemporary society; collected materials pertaining to the young veterans. Washington, DC: Dept. of Medicine and Surgery. pp. III-55.

References[edit]

External links[edit]


Category:Aftermath of war Category:Military life Category:Military medicine Category:Military supporting service occupations Category:Military personnel * Category:Military veterans' affairs

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