Common Roles of Military Psychologists On The Ground
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 soldiers 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.
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.
Another highly common area for Military psychologists is in Fit for Duty evaluations. Due to the fact that military life poses 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. 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.
Read more about this topic: Military Psychology
Famous quotes containing the words common, roles, military and/or ground:
“The classicist, and the naturalist who has much in common with him, refuse to see in the highest works of art anything but the exercise of judgement, sensibility, and skill. The romanticist cannot be satisfied with such a normal standard; for him art is essentially irrationalan experience beyond normality, sometimes destructive of normality, and at the very least evocative of that state of wonder which is the state of mind induced by the immediately inexplicable.”
—Sir Herbert Read (18931968)
“A concern with parenting...must direct attention beyond behavior. This is because parenting is not simply a set of behaviors, but participation in an interpersonal, diffuse, affective relationship. Parenting is an eminently psychological role in a way that many other roles and activities are not.”
—Nancy Chodorow (20th century)
“In all sincerity, we offer to the loved ones of all innocent victims over the past 25 years, abject and true remorse. No words of ours will compensate for the intolerable suffering they have undergone during the conflict.”
—Combined Loyalist Military Command. New York Times, p. A12 (October 14, l994)
“[If not re-elected in 1864] then it will be my duty to so co-operate with the President elect, as to save the Union between the election and the inauguration; as he will have secured his election on such ground that he can not possibly save it afterwards.”
—Abraham Lincoln (18091865)