Military sociology

From Citizendium, the Citizens' Compendium

Military sociology is the study of individual and group actions when they are part of a military organization. There may be aspects that are culturally specific, such as the warrior traditions of Japanese bushido, European chivalry and Pashtun pashtunwali, but, in every society, there are specifics that deal with issues of motivation to risk life, to withstand hardship, and to have a sense of justice — or lack thereof.

Certain areas of study are interdisciplinary with military sociology, such as the study of killing, termed "killology" by Grossman,^[1] which blurs into the area of operant conditioning of combat skills. Others deal with the issue of selecting people who will perform well under stress.

The professional soldier

Traditionally, there have been three components:

• heroic leadership; this extends to the idea of a warrior spirit ^[2]
• management
• Technical skills

with a strong shift, in recent years, to the latter two.^[3] Militaries have always had technical skills; a swordsman may spend as much time training as a fighter pilot.

Group dynamics

In almost all militaries, there is an intense bonding to members of the group.^[4] Especially in wars of the 20th and 21st century, failing in one's obligation to a fellow soldier is just as important as patriotism, religion, or other more transcendental factors.

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