Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications [Hardcover]

Carrie H. Kennedy (Editor), Eric A. Zillmer (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 18, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1572307242 | ISBN-13: 978-1572307247 | Edition: 1

During wartime, the need for mental health professionals intensifies, and the role they play is increasingly important. This comprehensive professional reference and text presents crucial knowledge for anyone who provides direct psychological services or consultation to military, law enforcement, or intelligence personnel, or who works to enhance operational readiness. Expert contributors describe the ins and outs of working within the military system and offer guidelines for effective, ethical practice. Among the clinical applications discussed are fitness-for-duty evaluations, suicide risk assessment and prevention, substance abuse treatment, and brief psychotherapy. Operational applications include such topics as combat stress, survival training, hostage negotiation, and understanding terrorist motivation.

(20091229)

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Carrie H. Kennedy, PhD, is a Lieutenant Commander in the Medical Service Corps of the U.S. Navy and is currently receiving specialty training in neuropsychology at the University of Virginia. Dr. Kennedy serves on the Conflict of Interest Committee for the National Academy of Neuropsychology and is the Navy Psychology Ethics Consultant for the Clinical Committee of the American Psychological Association’s Division 19, Society for Military Psychology. Her most recent publication investigates the efficacy of establishing a gambling treatment program in a military environment; her other research interests include assessment of memory malingering, multicultural issues in military psychology, and ethics of operational psychology.
 
Eric A. Zillmer, PsyD, is the Carl R. Pacifico Professor of Neuropsychology and Director of Athletics at Drexel University in Philadelphia. He is a Fellow of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, the American Psychological Association, the Society for Personality Assessment, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology, for which he also served as president. Dr. Zillmer has more than 100 publications in the areas of sports psychology, neuropsychology, and psychological assessment, and is a frequent contributor to the local and national media. His textbook Principles of Neuropsychology is used internationally. Dr. Zillmer currently serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality Assessment, the Journal of Forensic Neuropsychology, and the Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: The Guilford Press; 1 edition (August 18, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572307242
• ISBN-13: 978-1572307247
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #283,053 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #30 in Books > Law > Specialties > Military

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars In a Time of War...., May 30, 2007

By 

D. S. Thurlow (Alaska) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications (Hardcover)

"Military Psychology" is really two books in one. The first half is a broad discussion of the general application of psychology to the mental health of the U.S. military. It covers a variety of topics that will be familiar to currently-serving military members, including efforts to curb suicides and addictive behaviors such as substance abuse and gambling.

The second half of the book is likely to be of more interest to the general reader. The various contributors discuss operational psychology and its use in the present-day global war on terrorism. There is a fascinating discussion on combat stress, a phenomenon now better understood and very relevant to the generation currently in uniform. Chapters on the psychology of terrorists and of people who commit war crimes draw some surprising, even counterintuitive conclusions. Material on the psychological effects of weapons of mass destruction and other disaster trauma may be of interest to both to soldiers and to first responders in the U.S. homeland.

The second half of the book also includes some interesting material on the conduct of survival training and on the selection of personnel for high risk operations. These chapters will be very relevant for military personnel involved in high risk or special operations; they may also be fascinating for the more general reader seeking to understand the types of people who are best suited for such operations.

"Military Psychology", edited by two serving military psychologists, is written in a scholarly manner, with lots of citations and references to methodology. The average reader may have to wade through some purely academic portions to get to the more interesting conclusions drawn by the various contributors.

This book is particularly recommended to the serving military who will find the material especially relevant in a time of war. The general reader with the patience to work through the academic approach will arrive at a better understanding of how our friends and neighbors in uniform function at war.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Military Psychology Textbook, December 3, 2007

By 

Hsien-jin Teoh (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Military Psychology: Clinical and Operational Applications (Hardcover)

Carrie Kennedy and Eric Zilmer have gathered together a very comprehensive range of psychology topics which provide the reader with a broad view of psychological applications within the military. Of particular interest are the well-reviewed areas within the clinical fields that include neuropsychology, subtance abuse, fitness evaluations and health psychology. I found this text very useful and would recommend it as one of the essential texts for those working in the field of military psychology. Dr Teoh Hsien-Jin