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Military Life The Psychology of Serving in Peace and Combat, [Four Volumes]

Thomas W. Britt, ed., Amy B. Adler, ed., Carl Andrew Castro, ed.

ISBN: 0-275-98300-5

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-98300-0

DOI:

1072 pages

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 12/30/2005

List Price: $315.00 (UK Sterling Price: £217.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Series Title: Praeger Security International

Reviews:

Although we have been trying for centuries to understand human relationship with war, enhance human performance in various settings, develop psychological means to influence our enemies, and optimize emotional functioning in our warriors, there is relatively little published on the topic. Military Life: The Psychology of Serving in Peace and Combat, attempts to fill this void. This four volume set provides a framework for the psychological aspects of serving in the military and serves to enhance our understanding of our fighting forces, to optimize their functioning both personally and occupationally, and to put forth needed future research directions to advance the effectiveness of our service personnel.
—PsycCRITIQUES 2006
This four-volume set, edited by Britt, Castro, and Adler, is organized around four defining fields of applied military psychology: military performance, operational stress, the military family, and military culture. Each volume on begins with a first person account relevant to the volume's theme, concludes with a discussion of future directions, and contains nine other contributions.
—Reference & Research Book News May 2006
The four volumes of Military Life: The Psychology of Serving in Peace and Conflict are a powerful addition to any military collection, with each volume providing in-depth details on military performance, stress, family relationships and internal culture....Each volume provides a scholarly analysis backed by research and reference notes, includes extensive quotes from journalist and research source materials, and analyze rationales, assumptions, and changing experience. An essential set for any serious military collection.
—Midwest Book Review's California BookWatch March 2006
This four-volume anthology incorporates psychological variables that have been empirically demonstrated to influence military performance. Discussions are organized around the four defining fields of applied military psychology. The timing of publication is fortuitous, given US military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The significance of these works is enhanced further in light of the country's 30-plus years of experience with its All-Volunteer Force (AVF) and the diversity of missions the AVF has been asked to address. Each volume offers interesting perspectives for military scholars; each is introduced with a personal essay and concludes with a chapter on future directions....Recommended. Graduate students/faculty/specialists.
—Choice 4/1/2007

Description: With global commitments and combat duty, our armed forces face life-threatening challenges on a daily basis. However, less visible threats also impact the mental health of our military men and women. Experts examine challenges on the battlefield, such as women coming to terms with life after being prisoners of war, or soldiers dealing with mistakenly killing civilians. But life in the armed forces presents less dramatic, daily challenges. Away from the front lines, soldiers have to raise their families, sometimes as single parents. Children have to learn what it's like to be in a military family, and to make sense of war. Gay or lesbian officers cope with a don't ask, don't tell policy. An unprecedented range of contributors—military officers, medical doctors, psychologists, psychiatrists, and professors—take us onto the bases and the battlefields and inside the minds of military personnel who face far greater challenges than most of us ever see in the headlines.

These volumes also highlight factors that make members of the military resilient and stable, as well as programs and practices that can ease the psychological burdens of military personnel, families, and children. Readers can better understand how society views our military and military operations, and how each one of us can play a role in supporting our armed forces.

Table of Contents:

Sample Chapters from the Four Volumes
Volume 1: Military Performance
Section I: First Person
What Has Befallen Me? The Psychological Aftermath of Combat
Spencer J. Campbell
Section II: Human Dimensions of Military Operations
Psychological Aspects of Combat
Robert K. Gifford

Psychological Operations in Combat, Peacekeeping, and Fighting Terrorism
Steven Collins
Section III: Physiological and Cognitive Dimensions of Military Operation
Sleep Loss: Implications for Operational Effectiveness and Current Solutions
Nancy J. Wesensten, Gregory Belenky, and Thomas J. Balkin

Decision-Making and Performance under Stress
James E. Driskel, Eduardo Salas, and Joan Johnston
Section IV: Social and Personality Dimensions of Military Operations
Morale during Military Operations: A Positive Psychology Approach
Thomas W. Britt and James M. Dickinson
Volume 2: Operational Stress
Section I: First Person
Kilroy Was Here: Reflections of a Psychiatrist in Combat
Robert L. Koffman
Section II: Psychological Preparation for Warfare
Joining the Ranks: The Role of Indoctrination in Transforming Civilians to Service Members
Dennis McGurk, Dave I. Cotting, Thomas W. Britt and Amy B. Adler

Enhancing Mental Readiness in Military Personnel
Megan M. Thompson and Donald R. McCreary
Section III: Psychological Demans During and After Deployment
Combat Stress Control: Putting Principle into Practice
Steve J. Lewis

Predictors and Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Military Veterans
Shira Maguen, Michael Suvak, and Brett T. Litz
Section IV: Organizational Responses to Psychological Challenges
Human Spirituality, Resilience, and the Role of Military Chaplains
Thomas C. Waynick, Peter J. Frederich, David M. Scheider, Ronald H. Thomas, and Glen L. Bloomstrom

Social Climates: Drivers of Soldier Well-being and Resilience
Paul D. Bliese
Volume 3: Military Family
Section I: First Person
Army Wife, Army Mother
Doris Durand
Section II: Challenges Facing the Military Spouse
Maintaining Family Resiliency Before, During, and After Military Separation
Tina Watson Wiens and Pauline Boss
Section III: Family Diversity
Single Military Parents in the New Millennium
Michelle L. Kelley

The Challenges and Benefits of Dual-Military Marriages
Ann H. Huffman and Stephanie C. Payne

Voices from the Backseat: Demands of Growing Up in Military Families
Morten G. Ender
Section IV: Work-Family Conflict among Military Personnel
Work-Family Conflict among Military Personnel
Gary A. Adams, Steve M. Jex, and Christopher J. L. Cunningham

Volume 4: Military Culture
Section I: First Person
Military Culture and Values: A Personal View
Guy L. Siebold
Section II: Military Values
Culture's Consequences in the Military
Joseph L. Soeters, Christina-Rodica Poponete, and Joseph T. Page Jr.

Military Courage
Carl Andrew Castro
Section III: Diverse Groups
The U.S. Reserve Component: Training Strategies for Adapting to Deployment
Robert A. Wisher and Michael W. Freeman

The Role of Women in the Military
Penny F. Pierce

Sexual Orientation and Military Service: Prospects for Organizational and Individual Change in the United States
Gregory M. Herek and Aaron Belkin
Section IV: Perspectives on the Military
Life in Wartime: Realtime News, Realtime Critique, Fighting in the New Media Environment
Cori E. Dauber

Poultry and PatriotismL Attitudes towards the U.S. Military
Janice H. Laurence

About the Author: Thomas W. Britt is Professor of Psychology at Clemson University. He was previously a Research Psychologist at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. He is the co-editor of Psychology of the Peacekeeper: Lessons from the Field (Praeger, 2003).

Amy B. Adler is Lead Scientist and Science Coordinator with the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit, Europe, at Heidelberg. She served from 1992 to 2000 as a Professor of Psychology for the U.S. military community attending a branch of the University of Maryland in Germany. She is the co-editor of Psychology of the Peacekeeper: Lessons from the Field (Praeger, 2003).

Carl Andrew Castro is Chief of the Center for Soldier and Family Readiness at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in Washington, D.C.


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