On Killing [electronic resource].
The good news is that the vast majority of soldiers are loath to kill in battle. Unfortunately, modern armies, using Pavlovian and operant conditioning, have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instinctive aversion. The psychological cost for soldiers, as witnessed by the increase in post-traumatic stress, is devastating. The psychological cost for the rest of us is even more so: contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the army's conditioning techniques and, according to Grossman's controversial thesis, is responsible for our rising rate of murder and violence, especially among the young. ON KILLING is an important study of the techniques the military uses to overcome the powerful reluctance to kill, of how killing affects the soldier, and of the societal implications of escalating violence.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781497629202 (electronic bk.)
- ISBN: 1497629209 (electronic bk.)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource
- Publisher: [United States] : Open Road Media, 2014.
- Distributor: Made available through hoopla
Content descriptions
Restrictions on Access Note: | Digital content provided by hoopla. |
System Details Note: | Mode of access: World Wide Web. |
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Subject: | Combat > Psychological aspects. Psychology, Military. Homicide > Psychological aspects. Violence > Social aspects. Violence > Psychological aspects. Electronic books. |
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- Open Road MediaA controversial psychological examination of how soldiersâ willingness to kill has been encouraged and exploited to the detriment of contemporary civilian society.
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Psychologist and US Army Ranger Dave Grossman writes that the vast majority of soldiers are loath to pull the trigger in battle. Unfortunately, modern armies, using Pavlovian and operant conditioning, have developed sophisticated ways of overcoming this instinctive aversion.
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The mental cost for members of the military, as witnessed by the increase in post-traumatic stress, is devastating. The sociological cost for the rest of us is even worse: Contemporary civilian society, particularly the media, replicates the armyâs conditioning techniques and, Grossman argues, is responsible for the rising rate of murder and violence, especially among the young.
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Drawing from interviews, personal accounts, and academic studies, On Killing is an important look at the techniques the military uses to overcome the powerful reluctance to kill, of how killing affects the soldier, and of the societal implications of escalating violence.
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