Handbook of Military Psychology [Hardcover]

Reuven Gal (Editor), A. David Mangelsdorff (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471920452 | ISBN-13: 978-0471920458 | Publication Date: April 15, 1991 | Edition: 1

Handbook of Military Psychology Edited by Reuven Gal, The Israeli Institute for Military Studies, Zikhron, Ya'akov, Israel, and A. David Mangelsdorff, Health Services Command, Fort Sam Houston, USA With a Foreword by Edgar M. Johnson Section editors Friedrich W. Steege Paul R. Chatelier and Earl A. Alluisi Gerald P. Krueger T. O. Jacobs A. David Mangelsdorff Robert S. Nichols Reuven Gal The Handbook of Military Psychology describes the scope of military psychology and how the branches of psychology are applied in military settings, the similarities and differences within multinational and multi-service settings, the historical basis for the development and application of psychological principles in multi-service military settings, and the ongoing research and applications of military psychology. The volume editors have brought together a distinguished team of authors, under the leadership of section editors, who examine all areas in the field of military psychology--assessment; leadership; human factors; environmental factors; individual and group behavior; clinical and organizational applications; and special groups and special issues. The chapters include an up-to-date overview of the given subject, a historical review of the field, a critical analysis of the applications, and an extensive bibliography. The military must evaluate large numbers of people, screen out the unfit, select individuals with needed abilities, and place people in the jobs most appropriate both to their skills and to military needs. Military personnel, of all sorts, must be trained and prepared for warfare. Individuals have to be led and motivated and units must maintain high morale and cohesion in order to achieve their missions. Furthermore, military missions are frequently carried out under most stressful conditions and usually require strenuous adjustment between human capabilities and weapon-systems' peculiarities. These characteristics of military organization all have their psychological aspects. This comprehensive handbook will be an essential tool for military psychologists, trainers and leaders dealing with these aspects. It will also be of interest to both practitioners and researchers working in the field of occupational and industrial psychology, and for those working in personnel management. From a pre-publication review 'The Handbook of Military Psychology will be recognised as the standard work in this field.' John Keegan

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Written by internationally renowned experts. Includes such topics as what military psychology is; how the specialties within psychology are applied in military environments; the historical basis for development and application of psychological princples in multi-service military settings; similarities and differences within multi-national locations; military psychology research techniques; future directions and more. Features updated overviews for each chapter plus history reviews of the field, critical analyses of the application and an extensive bibliography.

From the Inside Flap

Handbook of Military Psychology Edited by Reuven Gal and A. David Mangelsdorff Wiley books of related interest Handbook of Life Stress, Cognition and Health Edited by S. Fisher and J. Reason 0-471-91269-7 750pp 1988 Handbook of Perception and Human Performance Edited by K. Boff, L. Kaufman and J.P. Thomas Vol. 1, Sensory Processes and Perception 0-471-88544-4 1568pp 1985 Vol. 2, Cognitive Processes and Performance 0-471-82957-9 1358pp 1985 Assessment and Selection in Organizations Edited by Peter Herriot 0-471-91640-4 802pp 1989 International Review of Industrial and Organizational Psychology An annual series edited by Cary L. Cooper and Ivan T. Robertson

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 780 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (April 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471920452
• ISBN-13: 978-0471920458
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.9 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,309,305 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid book but not worth the price, December 24, 2004

By 

sharply honed "sharply honed" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handbook of Military Psychology (Hardcover)

I hunted it down at a research library and read various chapters, scanning through others. Yes, it's a good book, dealing with many aspects that do not exist in civilian life or not to the same extent, and each chapter includes a detailed bibliography. Chapters include:

Personality Factors in Military Psychology
Individual and Group Behavior in Extreme Situations and Environments
Optimal Leadership in Small Army Units
Hostage Negotiation

Still, you can find it in a library and read it there. There is nothing to justify the price (retail $900.00 according to Borders).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Many adjectives, little data, June 29, 2006

By 

Paul Magnussen (Campbell, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Handbook of Military Psychology (Hardcover)

As I write, the price of this opus is fluctuating around $1,000. Two questions immediately occur, before reading any further (as other reviews indeed confirm):

a) Why is it so expensive? and
b) Is it worth it?

I have to say immediately that to answer either question authoritatively is beyond my competence. Also, I am not a military psychologist, and my judgments therefore may well differ from those of the target audience.

CRITERIA

I take it, however, that the criteria include those by which any other handbook would be judged: that is, the information in it should be:

* Complete
* Accurate
* Clear
* Up-to-date
* Accessible, i.e. well indexed and cross-referenced.

But given first two criteria alone, several potential problems become apparent immediately.

Firstly, there is the sheer size of the Universe of Discourse. Military Psychology is a massive subject, and no single book can hope to do more than scratch the surface of it. We may, however, hope for:

* good summaries
* extensive bibliographies for further reading.

Secondly, secrecy. If the Military is conducting psychological warfare, it is unlikely to want a discussion of its methods available to anyone able to pay the price of this book. Further, if there are psychological problems among the Military, it is unlikely to want to publicize the extent of them.

Thirdly, psychologists in all areas are under pressure nowadays to produce politically acceptable results. If (for the sake of argument) Eskimos were found in large-scale assessments to make better pilots than Texans, or vice versa; or if homosexuals were found to make much better marksmen than straights, or vice versa; or women better officers than men; what are the chances that the Military would come out and say so? Still less, act on the information?

And fourthly but perhaps most significantly, the authors are themselves mostly (but not all) in the Military, which is not famous for rewarding those who tell it what it does not want to hear. If the majority of officers studied are found to be (say) stupid or incompetent, are the authors going to be able to say so? Budgets have been known to disappear and promotions evaporate. (In fact, such a scenario in real life is described at length in what I thought was one of the frankest and best sections in the book, by Lenz & Roberts, pp.671-687.)

In a sense, it's pointless to expect a great deal that contradicts the official viewpoint: after all, this IS this official viewpoint. But equally well, if the book doesn't measure up, we may dismiss it and save our (or the tax-payer's) money!

CONTENT & ORGANIZATION

The perspective is avowedly international: the authors are from the USA, the UK and Israel, but there is a fair amount of material on the militaries of other countries, including some countries where first-hand material is difficult to obtain, such as the (former) Soviet Union.

At the risk of duplicating Amazon's Product Information, I list the section organization (which seems to me quite sensible), as follows:

1. Selection, Classification and Placement in Military Service
2. Human Factors in Military Performance
3. Environmental Factors and Military Performance
4. Leadership in Military Performance
5. Individual and Group Behavior
6. Clinical and Consultative/Organizational Psychology
7. Special Subjects and Special Situations
Index

QUESTIONS

The object of a handbook is, presumably, to enable its users to find answers to their questions, and thereby, hopefully, to solve their problems.

What are the problems facing the US Military? Other militaries? Which are the most frequent? The most important? Which have significant psychological components, and what are they costing in terms of money, efficiency and manpower? Which ones has psychology proposed solutions for? Were the solutions accepted and implemented, and if so, how effective were they? Or if rejected, why? What proportion of the military budget is spent on psychology? What proportion ought to be spent?

These general questions seem to me to be fundamental, and I would expect to find answers in such a reference as the present one. There is a certain amount of information spread over the book, but finding it is like extracting teeth -- a problem that extends to many other topics as well.

Accepting for the moment that Psychology has a useful body of knowledge to offer the Military, what is it? Among those considered greatest psychologists of the 20th century were Freud, Jung, Adler and Eysenck. But these four men disagreed about almost everything it's possible to disagree about. Whose theories does the Military favour? Or does the Army favour one, and the Navy another? Do psychological casualties get psychoanalysis, or behaviour therapy? And which is more effective, and in what circumstances?

None of the four psychologists mentioned appears in the Index, although Napoleon does (because of a psychological observation!). Thurstone is mentioned in the text, likewise (Eric) Berne, but neither is in the Index (although Berne's Transactional Analysis is).

What personality characteristics does the Military need? Are extraverts better than introverts? Neither word appears in the Index (in any spelling). What tests are used for officer selection? What is their predictive validity? How do you exclude psychopaths? Or do you want to? (Psychopaths are reportedly good at killing people, but bad at accepting discipline.) It is acknowledged by Milgram (p.560) that "the importance of personality variables in all phases of military life and in all fields of military psychology would appear to be beyond question". Nevertheless, "It is with some surprise, therefore, that when we examine the military psychology research literature, we find relatively few studies on personality."

How does the Military deal with discipline problems, from insubordination to fragging? Are these ways the best ways? Insubordination and Fragging are not in the Index, although Discipline is; it gets about a page.

What about incidents like My Lai, which (to put it no higher) are inconvenient for all concerned? Are there warning signs? If so, what are they? Whose responsibility is it to spot them, and how much training do they get? And is it better for morale if the incidents are exposed, or if they're swept under the carpet? My Lai is not in the Index.

What makes people go AWOL? What makes them desert? And are there a few causes, or many? We're told [p.545] that 'a total of 14 reasons were cited by 5290 deserters', but we're not told what those reasons were.

How can we get officers and men to realise the importance of cryptographic protocols? And while we're at it, what attributes does a good cryptographer need? Cryptography is not in the Index.

If the Ancient Greeks could produce first-rate fighting forces with homosexuals, why can't the USA? Or is that it could, but doesn't want to?

What is the incidence of alcohol abuse? Drug abuse, wife and or child abuse? Is it higher among enlisted men than officers? If so, why? Can anything be done about hazing, and if so, what?

Do women in the Military cause problems? If so what problems, and what can be done about them? Are there particular benefits? Are women, on average, better at anything then men, or vice versa? If so, what? And can we take advantage of it without causing resentment in the other sex?

What is the attitude of the Military to whistle-blowers? What should it be? Can they be protected, and if so, how?

Psychology is a self-referential profession. What are the psychological problems facing military psychologists? Bureaucracy? Turf wars? Resistance to new ideas?

I'll spare you the rest.

ANSWERS

I found partial answers to many of these questions, and quite good answers to a few of them, by wading through the book. In few cases was the index of much help.

In places specific facts and figures are indeed given: for instance, we're told that over a four-year period instance ending in 1977, AWOL incidence cost the US Government $1.1. billion. This is sporadic, though.

Unsurprisingly, information is most easily found on uncontroversial issues, such as performance impairment by extremes of altitude or temperature.

On controversial topics, however, refuge is too often taken in safe generalities and/or platitudes, pious recommendations, silence (implicit or explicit -- "no studies exist"), or evasiveness, when not outright denial. For instance, I was left with the distinct impression that South Americans deliberately blow up their own union organisers and bayonet their own pregnant wives, just so they can blame it on their country's US-trained military.

Similarly, quantitative information is in inverse supply to the sensitivity of the subject.

On the issue of the abilities of women, for instance, after a politically safe historical survey, we are told: "Women were proven to be good soldiers..." (p.733). Well, that's certainly a relief! The possibility that women might make (gasp!) BETTER soldiers than men in some circumstances is not even addressed. For instance, a casual selection from my own library yields the following:

"Women seem to be able to hold in their memory store for short periods of time a number of unrelated and personally irrelevant facts, while men are capable of comparable memory feats only if the material is... Read more ›

5.0 out of 5 stars price that the web page says is $599.00 . What gives, April 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Handbook of Military Psychology (Hardcover)

I know that this book does not cost $599.00 so who ever reads this I have a message . Tell someone to fix the page cause I want to buy this book and I can;t do that without the price .