345 research outputs found
Should all Soldiers be Sensation Seekers? The role of Personality in the Context of Operational Deployments
No full textShould all Soldiers be Sensation Seekers? The role of Personality in the Context of Operational DeploymentsThesis presented by Merle Parmak to obtain the degree of PhD. in Psychology and in Social and Military Sciences, 2011Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Martin Euwema and Prof. Dr. Jacques Mylle In this dissertation individual differences of soldiers psychological adaptation in a military task environment are explored. To better understand the role of personality in soldiers psychological well-being in the context of operational deployments, the dissertation takes its starting point in an interactionistic approach, the Person x Environment (P x E) theory (Lewin, 1935). The environment in operational deployments can be characterized by elevated risks and unpredictable incidents, but also by unquestionable regulations, tightly organised life and tedious tasks and duties. Being simultaneously present, these contradictive conditions chaos and order constitute a challenge for soldiers psychological adaptability. Although soldiers in general manage to adapt, there are those whose personality-based needs are less met by the reality of a particular deployment, and whose mental persistence[1] is more challenging to maintain. The author conducted a series of studies to explore the role of personality, more specifically the role of two narrow traits, Sensation Seeking and Need for Structure, in the psychological adaptability of Estonian soldiers deployed to the Helmand province, in Afghanistan, as part of NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Verifying the relevance of P x E fit theory in the context of operational deployments, authors findings contribute to a field of performance research, illustrating the need of an interactional approach studying performers mental persistence in a challenging environment. We have demonstrated the importance of considering not only skills (trainable) and abilities (identifiable) of performing individuals, but also their personality-based needs that may interfere with the outcome of interest. Based on the conclusions of the dissertation, a targeted approach in military training and post-deployment programs is encouraged. As an example, a behavioural modelling technique and simulations are suggested to prepare military personnel for complex operations in contemporary environments. In addition, Third Location Decompression programs are introduced to help their transition from the operational environment back to normal life. In Chapter 1 the author explains the theoretical ground of the research and formulates the research questions. In Chapter 2, the first empirical study is presented, in which the author demonstrates that soldiers with different personality profiles perceive and evaluate the environment and tasks in different ways. Chapter 3 describes the second empirical study, in which the author reports that soldiers are normally able to adapt their personality-based needs to the environmental demands. Chapter 4 illustrates how the soldiers personality profile is related to the difficulty in adapting to the realities of deployment. In Chapter 5, the general discussion, the author describes the relevance of results in terms of theoretical and practical implications. Summary of the main findings: The two studied personality predispositions sensation seeking and need for structure influence the perceived situational structure of a task in a military environment in terms of riskiness and predictability (Ch. 2); Reflecting the operational reality in terms of increased levels of risks and restrictions, an adjustment in the expression of personality-based needs, namely in Sensation Seeking and in Need for Structure is observable (Ch. 3);Soldiers, whose personal predispositions are corresponding to the reality of deployment, namely soldiers who do like a well-ordered environment and have at least a moderate need for sensations, are the least likely to become psychologically influenced negatively by the deployment; i.e. showing the smallest decrease in well-being (Ch. 4). [1] Defined from a motivational perspective (Bandura, 1989, 1991) in terms of ones willingness or a motivational urge to intensity his efforts and persistence of exertion in this particular environment.status: Publishe
Journey of a Spiritual Life
No full textA poetry reading and discussion Featuring Merle Feld, Poet, playwright, feminist theologian, and author of a spiritual memoir, A Spiritual Life: Exploring the Heart and Jewish Tradition.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/bennettcenter-posters/1252/thumbnail.jp
National resilience as a security concept
No full textResilience reflects system capacity to manage successfully unexpected pressures without losing its inherent structure and stability. In social sciences the concept of resilience is multi-layered which, if ignored, can drastically compromise any anticipated outcome. In relation to national and international security, national resilience is a capacity which has to be carefully addressed, particularly at times of unease or major changes, in all organisations held responsible for national and international security. Although resilience and resilience studies are a growing issue in the armed forces, the concept is often applied somewhat fragmented or inconsistent ways.
The relevance of holistic approach to military resilience is emphasised but still mostly referred as an individual attribute even if the existence of a social dimension is occasionally suggested. Current practices in military resilience building programs allow enhancing individual resilience via advised personnel selection and wisely designed training. There are also programs in place to boost community resilience via educated leadership and organisational support systems. What seem to be largely ignored are significant disparities in what individuals believe to be the essence of a society and nation and how do they define themselves and others.
National identity and feelings toward one’s country are part of individual attitudes and values finding expression in their behaviours and initiatives. In terms of resilience, the deviated groups and individuals may prove to be very resilient with regard to their own sustainability but not that of the nation. That may pose an unexpected threat coming from within security forces in the form of service members’ behavioural reactions in morally complicated situations when their oath and belief into national values are put to test. Despite of that no systematic mechanism is available to evaluate what service members’ consider morally and emotionally significant and explore up to what extent person’s loyalty to the nation can be affirmed or even trusted when deeply held values are challenged.
Increasingly multinational seedbed for military as well as police recruitment may bring along variations in what service members believe and what behaviours do they consider as morally right or justified. Individual values for what the person is willing to stand for may appear to be a security risk not from outside but from within. In that sense we could say that we have entered into the new era of wars where the real battle is taking place for people’s beliefs also amongst security forces. Developing comprehensive approach to military resilience within increasingly multinational armed forces it is vital to include the component of individual nation-related attitudes and beliefs
National Resilience in Multinational Societies
No full textResilience at the level of any system reflects its capacity to manage successfully unexpected pressures without losing its structure and stability. The most generic level of resilience – national resilience – is closely related with shared vision and values in society at the level of the nation. It refers to the ability to maintain national social fabric and cohesion when confronted by threats. During massive transitions, the established boundaries of nation-states and the definition and nature of citizenship are challenged. Risks related to diverse ethnic and religious identities may not be apparent before crises arise. In expanded societies, societal fragmentation poses a threat to national security, highlighting the importance of strategic nation-building and national resilience. Nation-building is influenced by trust and practice of communication between citizens, the state and its sub-communities. In order to mitigate security risks and enhance the capacity of multinational societies to cope with crisis, there is a vital need to develop a conceptual understanding and screening methodology for national resilience
An interactionistic approach to military selection: Interaktsiooniline lähenemine personalivalikule sõjaväes
No full textJean-Jacques Rousseau: On The Individual and Society
No full textIn this study, Merle L. Perkins links individual freedom with national power in offering a close reading of Jean-Jacques Rousseau\u27s major texts. He sees in Rousseau\u27s thought an extreme tension and interdependence between the idiosyncrasy of nonconforming character and an almost obsessive concern with the external pressures operating on the state.
Merle L. Perkins is the author of numerous books on philosophy, including The Moral and Political Philosophy of the Abbé de Saint-Pierre and Diderot and the Time-Space Continuum: His Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Politics.https://uknowledge.uky.edu/upk_political_theory/1001/thumbnail.jp
The Link Between Conscription Experience and Conscripts’ Attitude Toward National Military Service at the End of Training:An Example from Estonia
No full textThe purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the experience of conscripts in their training period and their subsequent attitude toward national military service immediately after training. Self-report questionnaire is used to measure the experiences of Estonian conscripts (n = 518) in three categories: perceived stress, applied coping strategies, and evaluation of training as important. Attitude toward national military service is measured as a critical versus neutral/positive answer to an open-ended question. We found that a perceived reduction in general quality of life, concerns about what is happening at home, and experiencing/expressing negative emotions were associated with a critical attitude. In contrast, taking a proactive outlook toward training and finding military-specific aspects personally important were associated with a more neutral/positive attitude. Our findings emphasize the importance of improving the conscription training experience in order to foster less critical attitudes toward service and are discussed from a person-environment perspective.</p
Towards a resilient society, or why Estonia does not need ’psychological defence’
No full textTwo years ago Estonia’s strategic national security and defence documents put forward
the idea of ‘psychological defence’ as a means to protect the values and cohesion of
Estonian society from subversive influences. The idea drew sharp criticism from some
sections of society for being inappropriate for a democratic state, even though the
intentions behind it were noble. The paper suggests that ‘societal resilience’ is a more
attractive and relevant concept in strategy making because it reflects the inherent
complexity of states, societies and their highly dynamic threat environments without
carrying negative and antagonistic connotations. It is argued that by focusing on the
constituent elements of ‘societal resilience’, e.g. human and social capital, Estonia can
better prepare for a wide range of security stressors than by pursuing ‘psychological
defence’. In addition, ‘societal resilience’ offers a more appealing narrative for engaging the
non-governmental sector and civil society in national security affairs, and even for putting
them at the forefront of national security efforts (a ‘whole-of-society approach’). The paper
also examines the practices for building ‘military resilience’ and their relevance to society at
large
Die Geschichte vom weisen Qayan Ögedei. Transkription, Glossar, Index und Zusammenfassung
No full textBensen üliger, Heftgeschichten, sind von ursprünglich schriftlicher Vorlage ausgehende mündlich tradierte moderne Spielmannsdichtungen der Inneren Mongolei. Bei den schriftlichen Vorlagen handelt es sich überwiegend um chinesische Romane oder Heldengeschichten, für die zum Teil auch mongolische Übersetzungen vorliegen. Bensen üliger werden bis heute von Spielleuten (mong.: quγurči) erzählt, die aus der Ost- und Südostmongolei stammen. Das hier zu untersuchende bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger („Die Geschichte vom weisen Qaγan Ögedei“) stammt aus einer Sammlung von Tonbandtranskripten mongolischer volksliterarischer Texte aus dem Nachlass von Prof. Dr. Walther Heissig. Diese Materialien hat Prof. Heissig der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste in Düsseldorf vermacht. Ein großer Teil dieser Textsammlung ist bisher noch nicht bearbeitet bzw. noch nicht übersetzt worden. Die Handlung dieser Heftgeschichte spielt in der Yuán-Zeit und wurde im Herbst 1980 aufgenommen, die Aufnahmezeit betrug etwa 60 Stunden. Das vorliegende Werk enthält die uiguro-mongolische Transkription des bensen üligers Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger nach dem System von Poppe (2006). Der formale Aufbau der Transkription entspricht der handschriftlichen Vorlage. In der Heftgeschichte Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger sind der Autorin spezifische Sprachkontaktphänomene aufgefallen, die für das vorliegende Werk von besonderer Bedeutung sind. Es zeigt sich, dass die zweisprachig aufgewachsenen Mongolen in der Inneren Mongolei je nach Region in unterschiedlicher Stärke Chinesisch und Mongolisch abwechselnd oder miteinander vermischt verwenden. Im Fall der Vermischung wird das Chinesische dabei maßgeblich verändert. Diglossie und Bilingualismus führen zum Sprachwechsel (Codeswitching) und damit verbunden zu verschiedenen linguistischen Transfererscheinungen. Diese lassen sich in den Bereichen der Lexik, Phonetik und Morphologie nachweisen. Da es sich bei den bensen üliger um mündlich tradierte moderne Spielmannsdichtung handelt, treten verschiedene umgangssprachliche Elemente auf, beispielsweise eine große Anzahl an Sinismen (die mongolische Wiedergabe chinesischer Wörter und Begriffe). Die in diesem Band enthaltenen Sinismen sind sowohl ein Beleg für bestimmte Sprachkontaktphänomene in der Inneren Mongolei als auch dafür, dass diese ihren Eingang in das Repertoire der mongolischen mündlichen Tradition gefunden haben.Bensen üliger (booklet stories) are a literary genre representing the orally passed on modern Spielmannsdichtung of Inner Mongolia originally emanating from written templates. The latter are mostly Chinese novels or heroic stories for which a Mongolian translation exists in most cases. Bensen üliger are told by minstrels (Mong.: quγurči) from eastern and southeastern Mongolia until today. The bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger (“The story of wise Qaγan Ögedei”) under research is part of a collection of tape transcripts of Mongolian folk literature texts from the estate of Prof. Dr. Walther Heissig, who bequeathed these transcripts to the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste at Düsseldorf. A large part of this text collection has not yet been edited or translated. The story line of the present booklet story takes place during the time of Yuán dynasty and was recorded in autumn of 1980 with a recording time of about 60 hours. This book contains the Uiguro-Mongolian transcription of the bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger after Poppe’s (2006) system. The formal setup of the transcription is equivalent to the handwritten template. In the booklet story Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger, the author noticed specific phenomena of language contact which are of particular importance for the present study. It turned out that the Mongols from Inner Mongolia who grew up bilingually, depending on the region, use Chinese and Mongolian alternately or in mixed form. In the latter, they modify the Chinese language significantly. The use of language in specific functions (diglossia) in Inner Mongolia and the bilingualism (Mongolian, Chinese) of the Mongols leads to code-switching and, linked to that, to various linguistic transfer phenomena. These are measurable in the areas of the lexicon, phonetics, and morphology. Due to the fact that the bensen üliger are orally passed on modern Spielmannsdichtung, they contain elements of vernacular, like sinisms (the Mongolian reproduction of Chinese words and concepts). So the sinisms of this volume are evidence for the phenomena of language contact in Inner Mongolia and for the fact that these have found their way into the repertory of Mongolian oral tradition
Die Geschichte vom weisen Qayan Ögedei. Transkription, Glossar, Index und Zusammenfassung
No full textBensen üliger, Heftgeschichten, sind von ursprünglich schriftlicher Vorlage ausgehende mündlich tradierte moderne Spielmannsdichtungen der Inneren Mongolei. Bei den schriftlichen Vorlagen handelt es sich überwiegend um chinesische Romane oder Heldengeschichten, für die zum Teil auch mongolische Übersetzungen vorliegen. Bensen üliger werden bis heute von Spielleuten (mong.: quγurči) erzählt, die aus der Ost- und Südostmongolei stammen. Das hier zu untersuchende bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger („Die Geschichte vom weisen Qaγan Ögedei“) stammt aus einer Sammlung von Tonbandtranskripten mongolischer volksliterarischer Texte aus dem Nachlass von Prof. Dr. Walther Heissig. Diese Materialien hat Prof. Heissig der Nordrhein-Westfälischen Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste in Düsseldorf vermacht. Ein großer Teil dieser Textsammlung ist bisher noch nicht bearbeitet bzw. noch nicht übersetzt worden. Die Handlung dieser Heftgeschichte spielt in der Yuán-Zeit und wurde im Herbst 1980 aufgenommen, die Aufnahmezeit betrug etwa 60 Stunden. Das vorliegende Werk enthält die uiguro-mongolische Transkription des bensen üligers Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger nach dem System von Poppe (2006). Der formale Aufbau der Transkription entspricht der handschriftlichen Vorlage. In der Heftgeschichte Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger sind der Autorin spezifische Sprachkontaktphänomene aufgefallen, die für das vorliegende Werk von besonderer Bedeutung sind. Es zeigt sich, dass die zweisprachig aufgewachsenen Mongolen in der Inneren Mongolei je nach Region in unterschiedlicher Stärke Chinesisch und Mongolisch abwechselnd oder miteinander vermischt verwenden. Im Fall der Vermischung wird das Chinesische dabei maßgeblich verändert. Diglossie und Bilingualismus führen zum Sprachwechsel (Codeswitching) und damit verbunden zu verschiedenen linguistischen Transfererscheinungen. Diese lassen sich in den Bereichen der Lexik, Phonetik und Morphologie nachweisen. Da es sich bei den bensen üliger um mündlich tradierte moderne Spielmannsdichtung handelt, treten verschiedene umgangssprachliche Elemente auf, beispielsweise eine große Anzahl an Sinismen (die mongolische Wiedergabe chinesischer Wörter und Begriffe). Die in diesem Band enthaltenen Sinismen sind sowohl ein Beleg für bestimmte Sprachkontaktphänomene in der Inneren Mongolei als auch dafür, dass diese ihren Eingang in das Repertoire der mongolischen mündlichen Tradition gefunden haben.Bensen üliger (booklet stories) are a literary genre representing the orally passed on modern Spielmannsdichtung of Inner Mongolia originally emanating from written templates. The latter are mostly Chinese novels or heroic stories for which a Mongolian translation exists in most cases. Bensen üliger are told by minstrels (Mong.: quγurči) from eastern and southeastern Mongolia until today. The bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger (“The story of wise Qaγan Ögedei”) under research is part of a collection of tape transcripts of Mongolian folk literature texts from the estate of Prof. Dr. Walther Heissig, who bequeathed these transcripts to the Nordrhein-Westfälische Akademie der Wissenschaften und Künste at Düsseldorf. A large part of this text collection has not yet been edited or translated. The story line of the present booklet story takes place during the time of Yuán dynasty and was recorded in autumn of 1980 with a recording time of about 60 hours. This book contains the Uiguro-Mongolian transcription of the bensen üliger Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger after Poppe’s (2006) system. The formal setup of the transcription is equivalent to the handwritten template. In the booklet story Ögedei mergen qaγan-u üliger, the author noticed specific phenomena of language contact which are of particular importance for the present study. It turned out that the Mongols from Inner Mongolia who grew up bilingually, depending on the region, use Chinese and Mongolian alternately or in mixed form. In the latter, they modify the Chinese language significantly. The use of language in specific functions (diglossia) in Inner Mongolia and the bilingualism (Mongolian, Chinese) of the Mongols leads to code-switching and, linked to that, to various linguistic transfer phenomena. These are measurable in the areas of the lexicon, phonetics, and morphology. Due to the fact that the bensen üliger are orally passed on modern Spielmannsdichtung, they contain elements of vernacular, like sinisms (the Mongolian reproduction of Chinese words and concepts). So the sinisms of this volume are evidence for the phenomena of language contact in Inner Mongolia and for the fact that these have found their way into the repertory of Mongolian oral tradition
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