Military Psychology

Although psychology as a discipline has been around for some time despite its late entry to the social sciences, there is still a general lack of awareness as to what the subject matter entails. Some individuals see psychology as an anti-religion and anti-God discipline. Others associate psychology with metaphysics, expecting psychologists to be fortune tellers at best. This stereotype of psychology has unsurprisingly found its similarity in the military profession. For a long time it is generally believed that military personnel are largely uneducated, rigid, and irrational, anti social and perhaps more than human. Psychology as a discipline and the military as a profession are no doubt two different subjects but which are by no means mutually exclusive. According to Jean Piaget (1970), psychology is applicable to all human activities and situations, education and psychotherapy, work and leisure in nearly all sectors of employment particularly in the military (emphasis mine). There are however some individuals who believe that psychology might only be applicable to the intelligence corps in the military. This is rather a limited view, considering the broad areas of application of the former to the later. It is against this background as to what psychology as a discipline entails on the one hand and what the military profession involves on the other, that the topic military psychology is very relevant not only to the psychologist but also to the military. Bearing in mind the demands of competition and globalization in a world of increasing sophistication there is the need for any academic discipline to have its sphere of influence and catchments area within which to chart its course. This is perhaps why vocational counseling has become of increasing importance. Similarly the quest for improved performance has led to increase in the use of professionals as consultants in industries and organizations including the military. African Journal for the Psychological Study of Social Issues Vol.7(1) 2004: 59-7