Sociological Analysis Of Private Troubles In The Military

In his often cited essay, “The Formation of In-Groups,” Gordon Allport offers his theory on how the groups with which one identifies directly influence the development of one’s individual identity. An “in-group” is a group where members share common traits such as societal status, religion, values or sexual orientation. All the members are alike in some way and that similarity unites them as a group. Allport suggests that one belongs to many in-groups throughout his or her lifetime. Individuals are born into some in-groups, such as one’s family, race or socio-economic level; this Allport terms as an “ascribed status”. People also obtain “achieved status” in a group such as one’s circle

Anything that can impact military readiness can be reported to a member’s commanding officer. A sad result this as caused many a service member to become very distrustful of both mental health and family support personnel. Many civilian counselors have resorted to promising service members that requests for treatment will not be reported to their supervisors. Fortunately while the stigma still exists some progress has been made about shifting attitudes up and down the ranks towards getting the necessary help. (Hall, 2008) This attitude often stems from the fact that if a member, especially one in command of other service members, makes a bad judgment call due to having a mental health issue it could very well lead to a significant loss of both life and government property. Many view or used to view seeking the help of a mental health expert as showing the inability of making sound calls in the field. (Schreiber & McEnay,

There is concern about military service members receiving stigma about getting or needing treatment in the area of mental health. Stigma occurs when individuals view others negatively because they have been labeled or identified as having a deviant behavior against societal norms; deviant behaviors such as mental illnesses or diagnoses uncommon or harmful to others. How does that impact the military? Military men and women alike are termed heroes, warriors, and survivors; this is quite the reputation to keep up. Military members go to war or deploy to hostile combat environments, which many come back with severe mental illnesses and diagnosis that need immediate care. At this point they may not feel like a hero. The terms psychological, mentally ill, PTSD, and behavioral health has gained a reputation as having or being a problem. Being labeled a problem is not what service members want. Many studies are trying to pinpoint the problem and resolve the stereotypes associated with getting treatment. Consequently, an individual’s attitude toward mental health treatment is thought to be affected by other people’s views on mental health care (Held & Owens, 2012).

The author of this piece is Dr. Gordon Allport. He is the former head of Harvard’s Department of Psychology as well as the founding father of social psychology. Allport published many books including The Nature of Prejudice (1954). The purpose of the article is to inform the audience that in-groups are everywhere and identity is based on our in-groups. This essay is an excerpt from the book The Nature of Prejudice in 1954 and is a credible source because the principles Allport discussed are still studied by psychologists and researchers today. In the essay, Allport speaks of reference groups and how it relates to in-groups. According to Allport reference groups are the group that an individual wishes to be apart of, but an in-group is

Psychological support for troops has emerged as a necessity because this kind of work can deal, to a considerable extent, with a set of specific psychological problems arising within disciplinary systems at all levels, not the lower echelons alone, as is often believed. Occasionally it is just the matter of an enlistee being unprepared for discipline-abiding lifestyle (ignorance of army regulations, orders and regulatory documents). Sometimes, however, psychological problems stem from clearly expressed anti-disciplinary attitudes in some or other serviceman, which attitudes tend to disorganize military activities, mixing, and off-duty routine.

A private trouble that sociologist might also classify as a public issue is mental disorders. People with mental illnesses (such as anxiety, depression, and bi-polar disorder) may consider their mental health as being solely their own private matter. However, I believe that several social factors contribute to an unhealthy mental states. For example, awareness of the inequality you face can bring feelings of depression, and the stress to follow social norms and please your fellow peers can result in an increase of anxiety. This private trouble in some cases are partly caused by social issues and in masses can weaken a society which is why it can also be a public

Which social institution meets the need to regulate sexual behavior and produce new members of society?

According to a study constructed by JAMA Psychiatry, a medical journal published by the American Medical Association, explained that one out of five soldiers, who have enlisted into the military have suffered from a mental disorder (Hastings). With this statistic, there are doubts regarding the military’s assessments of the enlisted. Matthew Nock, a Harvard University psychologist, led a study on mental disorders in the military, and concluded that

The “in” groups are those who share our qualities of said group and the rest are the “out” group. Such schema is often determined by factors intrinsic to who people are such as sex, race, and ethnicity. Groupings like this can increase discrimination when outside events exacerbate the sentiment toward both parties, driving a wedge even further. In the film, the families all group anyone who is Indian into the “in” group once they have moved to America but within their “in” group there are more spheres that are created such as the “in” group who are religious Indians who have lived in India or the “in” group who are related by marriage (Nair). The same exists in the short stories whereby the “in” group is automatically anyone who is Vietnamese but, for example, for Kim that group is further divided into those who were in foster care with her and the shop owner she so quickly moved into the “out” group after unknowingly projecting her feelings of abandonment from her parents into that

A service member’s emotional and psychological issues are not like malfunctions of a piece of equipment and must not be treated as a troubleshooting problem in a technical manual. And yet this seems to be the only way the military, as a whole, knows how to address the issue of a service members mental health. It requires a holistic approach that is not currently embraced by the military. Historically, the military has been ill-equipped to handle the shifting nature of the psychological issues created by introducing a service member to the battlefield.

"Distinct social groups within wider cultural formations that define themselves in opposition to mainstream culture." (Sturken & Cartwright pg. 461-2)

The very crux of Mills argument made in “The Promise” reinforces that the discipline of sociology is reliant upon the sociological imagination which equips the individual with the “quality of mind essential to grasp the interplay of man and society, of biography and history, of self and world” (Mills, 1959, p.4), and therefore fathom the direct parallel between coercive social structures (public issues) and the “Series of traps” (Mills, 1959, p.3) the individual often feels in their private sphere (private troubles) in a causal relation that is rather symbiotic, as observed per (Mills, 1959, p.3-8). Mills draws on a range of examples (Employment, marriage and war) (Mills, 1959, p.9-10) which place great emphasis on how private troubles can

Peer-Pressure can be used for numerous situations; some may be positive, while most are usually seen as negative. Researchers have pointed out those forced into the army are more likely to be exposed to peer-pressure. An important, yet untouched, issue in the military is “wartime rape,” particularly in civil war times, which is usually caused by the influence of others. Dana Kay Cohen, author of “Explaining Rape during Civil War: Cross-National Evidence (1980-2009)” explains that,” [w]ithout a clear comparative understanding of where and to what extent wartime rape occurs, it is difficult to draw defensible conclusions.” Thus, it is not certain why rape occurs so frequently in the military. However, Cohen believes civil war influences the chances

In Allports article, Formation of In-Groups, there is a social psychological approach taken. He uses in-groups and reference groups to aid in his defining

Moreover, Mills distinguish the difference between personal troubles and social issues. Personal troubles are personal challenge caused by greater social factors. For instance, when you have a lack of motivation to work. Further, social issues are challenges caused by greater social factors. For example, you got laid off from a job due to a financial crisis. Mills mentioned that many personal troubles have not become social issues yet because individuals do not treat their situations in a context of a social world. Thus, they blame themselves of not doing