military life stage development
TRANSCRIPT
Military Service and Life-Stage Development
A Theory in progress by Matt Rensi
“My person was hideous and my stature gigantic. What did this mean? Who was I? Whence did I come? What was my destination? These questions continually recurred, but I was unable to solve them.”-Mary Shelly, “Frankenstein.”
One Basic Question
• Does military service affect life-stage development?
• If so, how?
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source - http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/QuickFacts/Population_quickfacts.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vsfp04.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vsfp04.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/suicide-data-report-2012-final.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/ahar-2013-part1.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.census.gov/how/infographics/veterans.html
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/education_FINAL.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/Unemployment_Rates_FINAL.pdf
Conclusion? • Veterans are doing better
than their civilian counterparts
• Right….
• Wait…Right?
• Let’s look again
Let’s control for some variables
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vsfp04.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/vsfp04.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/opa/docs/suicide-data-report-2012-final.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: https://www.hudexchange.info/resources/documents/ahar-2013-part1.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/QuickFacts/Utilization_quickfacts_FY2014.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/QuickFacts/Education_Beneficiaries.pdf
Basic Stats on Veterans
Source: http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/QuickFacts/Homepage_opm_vets_quickfacts.pdf
Conclusion Part #2
• On a closer examination Veterans are doing better…but with the amount of resources, programs and funding afforded them, plus controlling for overall veteran age, veterans should be doing much better than they are.
One Basic Question
• Does military service affect life-stage development?
• If so, how?
Answer #1
• What does one mean by “military service?”
Lots of Factors• Branch of Service• MOS (Job)• Location of Service• Length of Service• Type of Service (Active/Reserve)• Era of Service –What Decade–War vs. Peacetime
• Perception of Service
Answer #2• Yes, of course!
• What Stage?– Identity vs. role confusion?– Intimacy vs. Isolation?
– Generativity vs. stagnation?– Integrity vs. despair?
Answer #2 (Part 2)
• If so, how?–Moratorium– Failure
– Acceleration
Identity vs. Role Confusion
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Identity vs. Role Confusion Failure
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Weak or Diffuse Underlying
Identity• Military identity is
completely assumed without critical acceptance/rejection of various parts.
• May not become a problem if the person is a “career” military member.
• Symptoms will most likely appear as the person tries to reenter society.
Identity vs. Role Confusion Failure #2
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Rejection of Military Identity • A person completely rejects
military identity. • Can cause serious problems for
the individual if they still have a long term of service to complete.
• Often easiest to recover from because rejection of military identity is usually based off of an identity that is already present.
• Can have a hard time “making sense” of military service.
Identity vs. Role Confusion Failure #3
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Problems with integrating identities• “Still in” mindset
• Unable to transition to a less-structured environment
• Amount of continuity between military/civilian life is a large factor
• Vocational restructuring?• Commitment formation?• Hostile culture?
Identity vs. Role Confusion Failure #4
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Trauma
Identity vs. Role Confusion - Problem
Boot camp
Primary/Civilian Identity
Military Identity
End of Service???
Leave Integrated identity
Commitment formation
Identity vs. Role Confusion
On the other hand, military service might increase or
accelerate identity formation
Identity vs. Role Confusion - Acceleration• Military identity promotes
“adult” or “identity” stuff– Role responsibility– Finances– Promotions– Separation from family – Consequences– Teamwork– Having to cope with suffering– Hard work– Commitment to values– Part of a collective – Public service
Identity vs. Role Confusion
• What makes the difference between the two?
– Failure vs. Acceleration
Veteran Cohorts
• Four-ish major groups of veterans out there–WWII (Not a lot of data here)– Vietnam– Gulf War I– Gulf War II (But not much data
here yet)
Veteran Cohorts• WWII Veterans (Not a lot of
research)– They’re doing well
• Education
– Even if they came from poor depression era families, they’re doing well
– Do have some war-related problems
Education – Kelty, R., Kleykamp, M. & Segel, D. (2010) Military and the transition to adulthood. The Future of Children, 20(1), 181-207. Retrieved from http://staff.washington.edu/dechter/classes/Soc352/Readings/Kelty%20et%20al_Military%20Transition%20Adulthood_FofC_10.pdfPoor Families – Elder, G. H., Gimbel, C. & Ivie, R. (1991) Turning points in life: The case of military service and war. Military Psychology, 3(4), 215-231.
• Vietnam Veterans –Mental health (Not good)
Veteran Cohorts
Kulka RA, Schlenger WE, Fairbank JA, Hough RL, Jordan BK, Marmar CR, Weiss DS: Trauma and the Vietnam War Generation: Report of Findings From the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. New York, Brunner/Mazel, 1990.
Veteran Cohorts• Vietnam Veterans– Earning power
(employment/education)
Angrist, J. D. (1990) Lifetime earnings and the Vietnam era draft lottery: evidence from social security administrative records. The American Economic Review, 80(3), 313-336.
Angrist, J. D. & Chen, S. Long-term consequences of Vietnam-era conscription: schooling, experience, and earnings. NBER Working Paper Series, working paper 11341. Retrieved from http://www.nber.org/papers/w13411.pdf
Veteran Cohorts• Gulf War I Veterans– Doing okay• Best employment rates
(lowest unemployment rates)• Decent educational rates• Middle of the road mental
health– Not as good as civilian population– Not as bad as Vietnam or Gulf
War IIEmployment rates - http://www.va.gov/vetdata/docs/SpecialReports/LFPR_FINAL_March2.pdfEducation Rates - http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/acs/acsbr13-22.pdfMental Health – Toomey, R. et al. (2007) Mental health of US gulf war veterans 10 years after the war. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 190 (385-393). Retrieved from http://bjp.rcpsych.org/content/190/5/385.full
Cohort Differences
• Where do the differences in service cohorts come from?
– Complex factors
• Two (Suspected) Factors:– Personal perception of
military service– Continuity w/ underlying
identity
What’s a Therapist to
do? • Rejection from VA– If you’re seeing a veteran,
they probably have VA issues
• PTSD –Moral– Experiential– Training
What’s a Therapist to
do?• Make meaning out of military service (Gerontology) – If positive perspective • Help client tell their story• Find themes• Help client develop preferred
narratives• Highlight contribution to
society • Regrets = values• Get involved in the veteran
community (service)
What’s a Therapist to
do?• Make meaning out of military service (Gerontology) – If negative perspective• Help them tell their story • What values did military
service rub up against?• Was military service all bad, or
were there some bright spots? • What wisdom was gained
through that experienced?• What service can be done now
in accordance w/ values?
What’s a Therapist to
do?• Do integrated identity
“stuff”– Vocational
selection/attainment– Personality tests– Value card sorts– Habit development– Community involvement• Military community• New community
– Grief?
Resources• http://www.ptsd.va.gov/pu
blic/reintegration/guide-pdf/SMGuide.pdf
• http://www.ptsd.va.gov/professional/manuals/manual-pdf/iwcg/iraq_clinician_guide_v2.pdf
• Questions?
• Comments?
• Critical Inquiries?
Fin