Introduction
In the past there was a linear path that kept people in the same career throughout their life, in today’s society with job roles more varied, diversity in career transition has occurred (Brown, 2000). Previous research by Dolliver (1999, cited in Brown, 2000) has shown that self efficacy is a factor for a change in career. Fischer et al (1993) noted that the alteration of an individual’s environment alters their normality, along with Viney’s (1980) findings that for psychological growth a transitional period is required. However, joining the military is not just a career change; it is an entirely different way of life and affects the individual’s social and cultural solidarity. Being in the Military is an occupational culture in which a study by Weiss (1982, cited in Shulman et al, 2000) stated that close bonds are formed in army recruits which could be classed as attachments due to proximity and stressful conditions individuals are placed in, this then helps the military promote the loss of individuality and promote group identity (Arkin & Dobrofsky, 1978).
There are two views in what happens in basic training affecting individuality to make a soldier; the first is that you will lose all individuality and morality, the second is basic training instils comradeship and allows flourishing (Clark, 2012). Novaco,Cook, & Sarason, (1983) (cited in Cigrang et al, 2000) showed that the psychological transition from civilian to soldier is an arduous journey with feelings of loss, having to adopt new behaviours and personal control is diminished. These theories are following on from Weinberg (1945) study on social aims of military units; Weinberg suggested that there are two main intentions for military training (i) to contro...
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...ssertation, UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA ANCHORAGE).
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Weinberg, S. K. (1945). Problems of Adjustment in Army Units. American Journal of Sociology, 271-278.
The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien, transports the reader into the minds of veterans of the Vietnam conflict. The Vietnam War dramatically changed Tim O’Brien and his comrades, making their return home a turbulent and difficult transition. The study, titled, The War at Home: Effects of Vietnam-Era Military Service on Post-War Household Stability, uses the draft lottery as a “natural experiment” on the general male population. The purpose of the NBER (National Bureau of Economic Research) study is to determine the psychological effects of the Vietnam War on its veterans. In order to do this, they tested four conditions, marital stability, residential stability, housing tenure, and extended family living. However, it neglects the internal ramifications of war that a soldier grapples with in determining whether they are “normal” in their post-war lives. Thus, effects such as alienation from society, insecurity in their daily lives, and the mental trauma that persist decades after the war are not factored in. After reading the NBER study, it is evident that Tim O’Brien intentionally draws the reader to the post-war psychological effects of Vietnam that may not manifest themselves externally. He does this to highlight that while the Vietnam war is over, the war is still raging in the minds of those involved decades later, and will not dissipate until they can expunge themselves of the guilt and blame they feel from the war, and their actions or inaction therein.
Bandura A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change. Psychological Review, 84, 191-215.
The time spend in the military service helps the narrator establish personal characteristics which enable him to understand the world around him and be more successful in life. Being in the military has given him th...
Beginning with a series of descriptions about the soldiers returning from the frontline, Owen shows us how these men contradict the model soldier portrayed in the recruitment posters. The soldiers that we see now have become beaten down with pain, and exhaustion: “old beggars, bent double” and “hags”. Here Owens shows us the true reality of war, and its impact upon the soldiers, he; shows us how the everyday combat has taken its toll upon the generation, practically taken out the whole cohort.
But, drafted or enlisted, the recruit had to look forward to the same period of basic training, when individual differences were supposed to be discarded to make way for the new group identity and goals. In Knowles' novel, this transition from a small prep school to military service looms as a big adjustment, one that proves too much for one Devon student.
Daley, J. G. (1999). Understanding the Military As an Ethnic Identity. In J. G. Daley, Social Work Practice in the Military (pp. 291-303). Binghamton: Haworth Press Inc.
The military, mainly focuses on the physical and mental preparation of veterans’ in order for them to witness combat. It is known that veterans’ who serve in the armed forces witness and experience violence, dead and trauma. Despite the effort of the military to prepare soldiers for combat, it is not sufficient for veterans’ to live a normal life after deployment. Many of the veterans’ who deploy are expose to a deeper inner battle within themselves when they return to their homelands. Smith and Gala True, point out that, we should consider how reintegration to civilian society requires soldiers to navigate and interpret new ways of being in the social world. We contend that the struggle to resolve contrasting identities—what we call warring
The dependents of a military may not endure the full effects of war or danger as the veteran himself. But, the dependents are not to be overlooked for their courage as well. Dependents have to deal with the deployments in their own way. Dependents are also being forced to move to a new home. Dependents are expected to make new friends. School becomes just a short-term memory for the children. It could be easy for a family under pressure like this to cave. However, a deeper love is developed under these harsh circumstances. “Crystallized out of his experiences as an inmate in Nazi concentration camps is Frankl's belief that people's chances of surviving such experiences are increased, or even enabled, by the act of finding some positive meaning to the experiences themselves. One way that he summarizes the essence of his belief is by quoting from Nietzsche that "That which does not kill me makes me stronger”.” Families begin prioritizing and understanding the necessities of life. Dependents begin to develop positive independence and learn to create and shape themselves to their utmost potential. “Children in military families are at no higher risk of behavioral problems than civilian children, and that frequent moves in particular can have positive outcomes by building family cohesion and resilience.”(Clever) In most cases, veteran’s dependent children are currently busy with school and all its necessities. In military families studies have shown the child to react in two general ways to their military parent. The first option is that they have minor struggles in getting through problems and lack the full state of mind of why their parent veteran is gone. However, studies have shown extraordinary results in which the child understands and copes with the parent and the child pushes his strong emotions towards sports and education.
Joining the military is not just a job or a path to a career, but a life style that requires dedication. The life style of a service member is not easy and is made up of many different characteristics which is known as the warrior society. Authoritarian structure, isolation and alienation, class system, parent absence, importance of mission, and preparation for disaster: war make up the culture aspects of the warrior society and will be discussed in further detail (Hall, 2008).
The military community is filled with some of the country’s most dedicated and brave citizens, and military bases are always full of people from all different places with a variety of unique experiences. Being a member of a military family has exposed me to a myriad of different types of people, which the average person my age does not get to meet. Having this opportunity has shown me the value of honor, determination, and hardwork, all of which have motivated me to attend college, and hopefully medical school.
A majority of those individuals are still teenagers, leaving home for the first time, learning to adapt to the “freedoms” of being at school and on their own. While I can confidently say I have matured in ways a traditional route college student has not, I still have much to learn. Learning to be away from home and on my own is not a problem for me, but learning to adjust to civilian life after service will be a challenge; a challenge I will undoubtedly face head on with full tenacity and commitment. One cannot be scared of the unknown, one must embrace
Professions in the military earn the trust of their clients through their Ethic - which is their means of motivation and self-control. Self-policing is absolutely necessary for the success to be a Profession of Arms. The Military encourages its Soldiers through a verity of aspects such as, raises and promotions and depending on the military
Many theorists and researchers (e.g., Bandura, 1977, 1986; Betz, 2004; Betz & Hackett, 1981; Lent & Brown, 2006; Wood & Bandura, 1989) have posited that self-efficacy is an important source enabling individuals to successfully perform any task. According to Bandura’s (1986) social cognitive theory, self-efficacy refers to “individuals’ judgments of their capacities to organize and execute courses of actions required to attaining designated types of performance” (p. 391). Bandura (1986, 1997) proposes that when individuals believe in their abilities to carry out actions to reach a specific goal and determine whether an action will be pursued, they will be more likely to exert an effort to carry out that action, persist in the face of obstacles, and perform a specific task at an optimum level. Self-efficacy (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1989) has been widely recognized as an emerging construct and given rise to considerable movement in theories and research in the career development literature over the past three decades (e.g., Hackett & Lent, 1992; Lent, 2005; Lent & Brown, 2006; Lent & Hackett, 1987).
In this essay, I aim to investigate the processes of socialization and re-socialization in the military through the frameworks of Goffman's (1961) work about total institutions and Foucault’s (1975) concept of panopticism in his work Discipline and Punish. Shaffir and Pawluch (2014) define the concept of socialization as the initial configuring of the self with others and with the environment in the absence of total institutional control. Re-socialization, however, is a re-configuring away from the initial socialized self, until the mortification process of the initial socialized self sets in. There is also a process of distancing from the initial self's previous relations. In doing this research I plan to answer the questions “What are the characteristics of a total institution?” and “What methods are employed for re-socialization in a total institution such as the military?”
The Army consists of hundreds of different jobs, all responsible for making it a Profession of Arms. Whether it’s the Infantry Soldier on the battlefield, the Supply Sergeant ordering equipment for the platoon, or the Truck Driver, delivering food to feed the Soldiers, there is one profession in the military that holds it all together and that is the Human Resources Sergeant. The Human Resources Sergeant manages the military’s most valuable asset, their Soldiers. Without Soldiers the military would not be able to complete its mission in times of peace and war. There are three important roles the Human Resources Sergeant has that greatly contribute to the Profession of