Psych 190 Warriors at Home Dr Elena Klaw Goals for Today Identity changes in warriors Sense of self Sense of purpose Relationships Moral injury Effects Self forgiveness Posttraumatic growth ID: 363972
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Slide1
Identity & Moral Injury
Psych 190: Warriors at Home
Dr. Elena KlawSlide2
Goals for Today
Identity changes in warriors
Sense of self
Sense of purpose
Relationships
Moral injury
Effects
Self forgiveness
Posttraumatic growthSlide3
Identity Change
What aspects of a military member’s sense of self may change as a result of participating on war?Slide4
Possible Changes in Sense of Self
Safety & trust in the world
Sense of control may be gone
Feeling of indestructability
May feel like a “bad” person
Effects:
May try to exert control: give orders
May feel hopeless & helpless: depressed
May feel that they deserve special treatment and disappointedSlide5
Sense of Purpose
May have foreshortened sense of future
May have anxiety about redeployment
May feel like damaged goods
May feel that they have failed if they lost buddies in the war
May miss a sense of mission
May question spiritual beliefs, feel abandoned or unloved by higher powerSlide6
Relationships
Redployment
anxiety may affect whole family
May feel unworthy of love and care
May feel weak
May feel useless especially with a physical disability
May feel others would hate them if they knew what they did in service
May feel out of place, like misfits or loners
May feel hardened
May feel abandoned by the gov’t
Effects: May self isolateSlide7
Moral Injury
Litz
et al. (2009)
“Throughout
history, warriors have been confronted with moral and ethical challenges and modern unconventional
guerilla
wars amplify these challenges.
“
“Potentially
morally injurious events, such as perpetrating, failing to
prevent
, or bearing witness to acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations may be deleterious in the long-term, emotionally, psychologically, behaviorally, spiritually, and
socially.”
“Warriors
may also bear witness to intense human suffering and cruelty that shakes their core beliefs about humanity.
“Slide8
OIF/OEF and Moral Injury
(
Litz
et al., 2009)
Service members deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan have been exposed to high levels of
violence and its aftermath. 27% surveyed had experienced ethical dilemmas, possibly because of ambiguity of the enemy.
In
2003, 52% of soldiers and Marines surveyed reported shooting or directing fire at the
enemy.
32
% reported being directly responsible for the death of an enemy combatant (
Hoge
et al., 2004).
65
%
reported
seeing dead bodies or human remains, 31% reported handling or uncovering human remains,
60
% reported having seen ill/wounded women and children who they were unable to help.
2003
, 20% of soldiers
&
Marines surveyed endorsed responsibility for the death of a non-
combatant.Slide9
Effects
(
Litz
et al., 2009)
After
controlling for combat exposure, taking
a
life was a significant predictor of PTSD symptoms, alcohol abuse, anger, and relationship
problems.
Especially associated with chronic PTSD and depression.
May have long lasting psycho-social impact including guilt and shame.
This sense of shame may lead to a negative
attributional
style, withdrawal, and avoidance behaviorSlide10
Self Forgiveness
(
Litz
et al., 2009)
Veterans
who have experienced atrocities and/or killing as part of war need
professional support to
accommodate their
experiences
into
their own moral schemas.
Self forgiveness challenges
internal, stable, and global attributions
.
Correlated with reduced PTSD severity.
Increasing feelings of worth
reduces
isolation and increase social
support.
Reduces both
avoidance symptoms and self punishing
behaviors.
Allows traumatized veterans to develop adaptive ways of relating, and new meanings as they integrate into civilian world.Slide11
Post
traumatic Growth
See self as more capable and self reliant
Appreciate family and friends more
Can practice acceptance of changes