http://www.alternet.org/world/147637
According to the author of the article, positive psychology is implemented in order to develop and improve “communication skills, cognitive reforming skills and help soldiers not to catastrophize -- don’t think of the worse case scenario about every potential problem.” The program also teaches soldiers to focus on “expressing appreciation” and “correcting negative views of ambiguous events.”
Now, I don't know about you, but I'm not comfortable with the idea of our military becoming a comedic, perpetual perky version of a modern day "Hogan's Heroes". If you are too young to remember the 1960's tv show, all I can suggest is look it up on Hulu or Youtube.
I'm not saying that optimism isn't a good trait to have, but when you are working in a volatile environment and when one false move can result in your death or someone next to you, I'm not sure if "putting on a happy face" and thinking positive thoughts is the prudent approach. When confronted by dangerous situations, it is wise to consider all negative consequences and worst case scenarios. This is nearly impossible when all you are trained to do is think happy thoughts.
Additionally, I can't fathom how it is possible to express appreciation when you are being attacked by guerrilla soldiers.
Interestingly enough, just before I came across this article, I read a book entitled: Empire of Illusion: the End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle by Chris Hedges. He writes about the infiltration of illusions in American culture, and one of these illusions he tackles is the merits of positive psychology.
Chris Hedges argues that positive psychology is inherently destructive to individuals and society. He explains in the following paragraph:
"Philosopher David Jopling calls positive illusions 'life-lies'. He argues that so-called positive illusions may work for awhile but collapse when reality becomes too harsh and intrudes on the dream world. 'The deeper and more pervasive an individual's positive illusions,' writes Jopling, 'the greater their effect of diminishing his range of awareness of himself, other people, and the situation confronting him.' Jopling argues that self-deception strategies are reality filters that organize what people understand into self-relevant and self-serving packages. 'With the diminishing of the range of responsiveness and openness' to what is real. Ones' ability to interact intelligently with all of the world's real consequences diminishes. Jopling warns of the grave moral consequences for a delusional society. 'This means that the range of social, emotional, and personal relations that connect us to others, to the social world, and to our own humanity, are progressively weakened as self-deceptive strategies become progressively entrenched in behavior and thought.'" p. 123-124 Hedges
Corporations have been promoting positive psychology for decades, argues Chris Hedges. The results have been catastrophic and have facilitated the rise of consumerism, along with the emergence of an apathetic citizenry and the entrenchment of conformity and allegiance to authority: even in the midst of immorality. Hedges elaborates:
"Corporatism, aided by positive psychology, relies on several effective coercive persuasion techniques, similar to those often employed by cults, to meld workers into a "happy" collective. It sanctions interpersonal and psychological attacks and lavish praise to destabilize an individual's sense of self and promotes compliance. It uses the coercive pressure of organized peer groups. It applies interpersonal pressure, including attacks on individuality and criticism as a form of negativity, to ensure conformity. It manipulates and controls the totality of the person's social environment to stabilize modified behavior." p. 135 Hedges
Personally, I believe positive psychology is dangerous. It gives the illusion that all anyone has to do to change their circumstances is think positive thoughts and, poof..everything is rosy. It encourages reliance on magical thinking and denies the realities of social inequity and social responsibility. Most disturbing of all is it coerces conformity and an unhealthy allegiance to authority figures by stifling independent and critical thought.
As Albert Einstein said: “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.”
Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle
2 comments:
As the wife of an illegal immigration, I can understand your story, especially that much more difficult for being married to a Muslim man. Yet, as a Iraq war vet who served 10 years, I find a lot of fault with the article in general. I don't think that the spin of calling it "positive" thinking is the correct word to use. One example cited said not to complain about being tasked to do an additional duty late at night, etc. I was probably one of those negative minded people because I was deployed while I had a 4 month old baby at home and I wanted to be at home. I had a young soldier who was 19 years old and he had the best attitude that I had ever come across. His "positive" personality touched everyone around him and it make life over there so much easier. If all of my soldiers had shared in the power of "positive thinking", it would have helped so many. As we fight this immigration battle, we have to look at the positive as well and hold that dream tight or we will fall to the depression and stop trying as well. They aren' trying to make it a "happy" army, they're trying to help the minds of those soldiers and the jobs they chose to accept. And I have to call BS to this article...In the last decade, antipsychotic drug use in the U.S. military has increased more than 200 percent, and anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping pills have increased 170 percent. These kinds of drugs impair motor skills, reduce reaction times, and generally make one more sluggish -- or what soldiers call “stupid,” as the Navy Times notes.
. In all of my 10 years, as an enlisted soldier through officer school and becoming a company commander, there were no drugs issued to soldiers while on duty unless it was for something like antiobiotics, etc. If you wer eon depressants, etc, you weren't allowed to perform your duties until you were cleared by a doctor. My soldiers were sent home from Iraq when they were diagnosed with mental disorders. I myself have been certified as 70% through the VA and I don't take any medication for PTSD, I see a counselor who uses other methods to help me cope with my stressors. In the last decade, we have been involved in a war and it is scarring some of us mentally for life. Could that have any effect on why we might take more sleeping pills now, etc? I haven't slept a good night sleep since I got home 6 years ago. I'm not a police officer anymore because I can't stand to touch a gun. I'm a beautiful strong confident woman but I made my choices and I stand behind them.
Sorry to go off but it's hard to have civilians stand in judgement of something they have never experienced. It's like having a white person tell you that your husband should come over here "legally" when we all know that's a joke. I had a fabulous Kurdish man as my translator and this poor kid was trying to finish medical school while still helping his family and the Army. He's now a doctor and I'd love to help him come to the US but I have no idea how things like that work because the United States simply doesn't want to open any doors, no matter how deserving that person might be.
Krystal L
www.armymustang.com
Thanks for your comments Krystal. It is nice to have someone with a military perspective following this blog.
I certainly understand that having a positive attitude is a good thing to have when one is serving in the military. I think we can both agree that the article, in general, just wasn't of a high caliber and resorted to gross generalizations.
As far as the military in general, I have the highest regard for anyone who serves in the military. I know I possess neither the courage, stamina or fortitude that is necessary to forge a successful military career.
What I was attempting to critque in general--or at least I hope it came across that way--was a cultural presupposition in contemporary society towards utilizing positive thought in a manipulative way rather than for the good or education of mankind in general.
I'm specifically thinking of the positive spin being rallied around in the media the on the BP oil disaster. Supposedly no one can find the oil--and that's presumed to be a good thing; and indicates that the environmental impact will not be significant--according to the media and BP. I think most of us know that just because they can't find the oil, doesn't mean it isn't there, underneath the surface wrecking havoc. But if positive media spin misleads some of the general public, well--that's good for business.
I'm also thinking,in this instance, of race relations. As Americans, we can err on the positive side when discussing race by saying that America is a "raceless" society and the color of someone's skin really doesn't matter. Although this may make some people feel good, it does not reflect the reality of contemporary American culture. I feel this explains why it is extremely difficult to breech the subject of race in the American conversation. We all know,in the long run that if we can't admit there is a problem, there is no way it can be solved.
Most people would agree that optimism is a valuable trait--however, anything can be harmful if overdone. If we are putting on a happy face in order to disguise, deny or obscure a formidable problem then in the end--we are only compounding the misery for ourselves and others.
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