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KMID : 0376619930180040224
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Seoul Journal of Psychiatry
1993 Volume.18 No. 4 p.224 ~ p.256
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Combat Psychology: An Overview
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Abstract
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While the goal of military psychiatry is to curtail military manpower losses from mental disorders of situaticnal or environmental origin, that of combat psychology is to enhane the efficiency of military manpower in war and peace in adition to
curtailing manpower losses from psychological reasons. In normal battle-reaction the soldiers as a group show four stases of psychological change such as confusion, apprehensive enthusiasm, resignation and anxious apprehension, and the individual
soldier suffers from fatigue, various psychosomatic responses and mental symptoms. Most prominent pathological battle-reactions of the individual soldier are anxiety state, conversion, panic, depression and pseudopsychotic states, and in long-run
day-by-day combat situation there is a slowly-progressing disorganization of personality such as 'old sergeant syndrome Pathological battle-reactions spring-out from environmental, personality, social and dynamic factors, which can be prevented
by
enhancement of one's identification with the group and unit, mutual trust, education, and group morale. The treatment principles are the same of community psychiatry, which are composed of early detection and early treatment,
home-ground(combat-line)
treatment, supportive oneshot psychotherapy on here-and-now principle, and assigning back to old unit. So called 'shell shock' brought the concept of military psychiatry during World War I and nowdays the concept broadened to the extent of mental
health
consultation service and command consultaion.
The works of many psychiatrists and psychologists have involved in the area of selection and training of soldiers and officers in the past 50 years. They have been able to indentifygood0fighters. 7% of the army as a whole 25% of combat troop, to
be
the
ones who are heavier, taller, more aggressive, more masculine, more intelligent, not-a-first son, and who came from harmonious families which owned their their own business, in comparison to nonfighters. They have been able to identify also the
qualities of good and bad junior and senior officers, including the method of quick selection of officers such as 'Bion's method' In markmanship kneeling position gives the most rapid time to first hit. At more distant targets. The prone position
is the
next best, followed by standing Altitude exerts an influence on markmanship. Detecting mines and boody-traps requires a specific personality organization.
In stressful situation there are 10~35% drops of accuracy and efficiency in combat skills Slodiers in front identify five major stressors risking their survival as pain, cola, thirst and hunger, fatigue, and isolation and loneliness, and nine
major
combat stressor risk factors as being under enemy fire, buddy killed in action, combat patrol or dangerous duty, being surrounded by the enemy, witnessing atrocities, being separated from unit, participation in atrocities, being attached to a
foreign(ally) unit, and being wounded, Posttraumatic stress reacton tends to be increasing from 7% during Korean War to 26% during Vietnam War. Recently ther is a report that the wives of submarine personnels in large percents show depression.
In addition, the author reviewed and discussed on the psychological characteristics of the soldiers participated in atrocities, prisoners of war, and interrogations.
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