Military to Civilian Transitions - Transition Stress
When we think about soldiers, or more specifically, veterans, the most common and immediate thought that comes to mind is PTSD. Soldiers on the warfront suffer experiences most of us wouldn’t be able to imagine, and yes, it does impact them psychologically, again, in ways most of us wouldn’t be able to imagine.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in soldiers is given its due importance and more, in favor of the often overlooked ‘transition stress’ they experience during their transition to civilian life.
Let’s not overlook it this time.
Transition stress occurs when military veterans make the change from being a soldier, to going back to civilian life. This includes a loss of purpose and sense of identity, because the change between the structure of the military to the relatively chaotic ‘freedom’ of civilian life, is drastic. They face challenges in the form of difficulties in securing employment, reestablishing relationships with friends and family, and forming and sticking to a routine. An identified root cause of transition stress was a feeling of loss of identity.
The military provides a sense of belonging and purpose, a sense of camaraderie that becomes deep rooted enough to associate with yourself, and when you leave it behind, it undoubtedly creates a sense of disconnect from your own identity. Not to mention, civilian life is inherently individualistic; regardless of your support system, first and foremost, you lookout for yourself, which is a stark contrast from the military perspective of always having someone watch your back, of always looking out for others and having others look out for you. This whiplash of perspectives will most certainly leave someone floundering, feeling alone, even if you are surrounded by people.
The social identity theory is thought to be closely linked with transition stress, particularly the aspect of loss of identity. Social identity is the tendency of people to view themselves as belonging to certain groups, and attach emotional value to the membership of that group. Social identity can be clearly distinguished in the military setting, with an easy sense of belonging and camaraderie established through the hierarchy, and a common sense of purpose shared with the members of the group. This, however, is very quickly dismantled when you step into civilian life, because you no longer share the sense of purpose, nor do you have people around you that understand and know the things you have been through.
Having access to a good social support system, however, while helpful to an extent, is only entirely beneficial when there is a sense of social connectedness in veterans. Social connectedness refers to the individual’s perception of the social world, as well as their connection and belonging to it. Having a higher social connectedness is associated with higher interpersonal functioning; actively seeking to belong in the world. This is a vital part of transition stress since having a sense of social connectedness implies not only more willingness to belong and assimilate but also greater capabilities for the same.
Of course, a loss of sense of identity and purpose are not the only contributing factors to transition stress. There are more immediate, concrete challenges that veterans have to navigate, which doesn’t make the ordeal any easier, because, why would it?
On similar lines of a sense of purpose, many veterans struggle to find jobs that offer the same camaraderie and purpose, which again highlights the contrast they seek so hard to bridge. In fact, even without camaraderie and purpose, finding a job for most veterans is a task in itself.
Many soldiers join the military straight out of high school, so they don’t have much to put on their resumes; no college education, or real-world experiences, which means less jobs open to them. They have the knowledge and skills that you learn when you go out in the world, but they don’t have the certifications or degrees that usually come with them.
Of course, it doesn’t help when you’re surrounded by well-meaning people who simply cannot understand the struggles you face – the small, everyday ones more so than the larger brutalities faced on the battlefront. Many veterans struggle to hold jobs because their employers are not understanding of their requirements, like working around the schedule to attend regular veteran affairs (VA) meetings, which act as support groups for those employed in the military.
Finding a job is usually said to be the first step in achieving a sense of stability, because it provides routine, structure, and a sense of purpose in your life. Veterans who cannot find jobs often have a harder time readjusting to civilian life. Extended periods of unemployment can result in poorer mental health, bidirectional with depression, anxiety, and other psychiatric symptoms.
Some factors that make re-entry easier for veterans are whether they have a college education, religiosity, and where they served; soldiers who served in high combat zones or were exposed to traumatic events had a harder time readjusting to civilian life.
Change in general is always unwelcome - we complain when our coffee doesn’t taste just right. A change of this magnitude, especially with lesser resources due to the phenomenon in general remaining unexplored, is an ordeal no one wants to go through.
With PTSD being an umbrella diagnosis for veterans struggling in the civilian world, maybe it is time we give importance to the smaller factors, which, while seemingly insignificant, can contribute in the long-term to severe damage that can easily be avoided.
About the author:
Dev Ranade
Member of the Psycreative Column,
First-year, B.Sc. Applied Psychology student, SDSOS, NMIMS.
Dev Ranade is an aspiring research psychologist who has been writing since a young age. He writes poetry, fantasy, horror, and blogs on topics of interest, such as social psychology, ethics and morality, and sharks. He is a student in his first year at NMIMS, residing in Mumbai, Maharashtra.
References:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-identity-theory
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