A Warrior's Guide to Psychology and Performance: What You Should Know about Yourself and Others

by George Mastroianni, Barbara Palmer, David Penetar, Victoria Tepe

Overview

This timely, well-organized, and practical guide for the warfighter offers the collaborative contributions of dedicated military and civilian experts. Each chapter examines specific demands of military life and service, such as nutrition and its role in physical and cognitive performance, including details about military rations like Meals Ready to Eat (MREs). It also explores sleep: why you need it, how much you need, what happens when you are deprived of it, and how to recognize deprivation's effects. The authors also discuss various aspects of stress: what it is, what its effects are on your body and mind, and how to recognize it, prevent it, and handle it. The book devotes an extensive discussion to hardiness and resilience, focusing on preparing yourself and your family and friends for stressful military deployments in order to avoid or minimize their associated pressures. Finally, the authors address common problems experienced after a deployment and offer tips on how to make your transition back home as smooth as possible for yourself and your family.

In each case, the expert contributors have emphasized specific skills, strategies, behavior, and support measures that you can apply to benefit your own overall psychological health, performance, and longevity.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781612341200
Publisher:	Potomac Books Inc.
Publication date:	12/31/2010
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Lt. Col. George R. Mastroianni, USAR (Ret.), served as an experimental psychologist in the U.S. Army and is currently a professor of psychology at the U.S. Air Force Academy. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Barbara Palmer is an experimental psychologist with extensive experience in military research and development and human systems integration. She lives in Dayton, Ohio.

Col. David M. Penetar, USA (Ret.), served as a U.S. Army research psychologist. Currently a psychopharmacologist at McLean Hospital, affiliated with Harvard Medical School, he has remained active in army research and lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Victoria Tepe is a behavioral neuroscientist with more than twenty years of professional research experience in academic, medical, and military settings. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

Acknowledgments xi

Introduction xv

1 Adjustment to Military Life and Service 1

2 Your Body and Your Mind 31

3 Understanding and Dealing with Stress 73

4 Surviving and Thriving in Combat 103

5 From Combat to Home 125

Appendix: Resources 147

Notes 157

Index 159

About the Authors 163

Editorial Reviews

"This book is timely and long overdue. For our men and women in the profession of arms, and for their families, the challenges of the twenty-first century are as complex as the myriad roles and environments in which they serve. This book represents more than just a guide to survival. Based on the most current wisdom in psychology and related sciences, it is a resource for thriving in military life and service."—Brig. Gen. Dana H. Born, USAF, Dean of Faculty, U.S. Air Force Academy

Brig. Gen. Dana H. Born

"Psychological preparation for combat is immensely important. Every military leader should read A Warrior's Guide to Psychology and Performance. This book will help them improve soldier resiliency, strengthen unit cohesion, and steel soldiers and units against post-traumatic stress and the various dysfunctions that come with it."—Brig. Gen. Herbert R. McMaster, USA, PhD; Chief of Concept Development and Experimentation, Army Capabilities Integration Center; author of Dereliction of Duty

Brig. Gen. Herbert R. McMaster

"This book will be very useful to the young men and women who choose careers as military professionals. The country is indebted to the authors and editors of this book, and to those who read and will benefit from it."—Paul Ekman, PhD, professor emeritus of psychology, University of California, San Francisco

Paul Ekman

"This well-written treatise reminds the reader of the wide spectrum of psychological and physical challenges associated with the profession of arms. More importantly, the authors set forth a truly encyclopedic variety of useful information about how soldiers, sailors, and airmen, along with those who are close to them, might best respond to these challenges. If you serve in the military or have a relationship with someone who does, this is a worthwhile read."—Lt. Gen. Ervin J. Rokke, USAF (Ret.), PhD; former president of the National Defense University

Lt. Gen. Ervin J. Rokke

"This well-written treatise reminds the reader of the wide spectrum of psychological and physical challenges associated with the profession of arms. More importantly, the authors set forth a truly encyclopedic variety of useful information about how soldiers, sailors, and airmen, along with those who are close to them, might best respond to these challenges. If you serve in the military or have a relationship with someone who does, this is a worthwhile read."

"Psychological preparation for combat is immensely important. Every military leader should read A Warrior's Guide to Psychology and Performance. This book will help them improve soldier resiliency, strengthen unit cohesion, and steel soldiers and units against post-traumatic stress and the various dysfunctions that come with it."

"This book will be very useful to the young men and women who choose careers as military professionals. The country is indebted to the authors and editors of this book, and to those who read and will benefit from it."

"This book is timely and long overdue. For our men and women in the profession of arms, and for their families, the challenges of the twenty-first century are as complex as the myriad roles and environments in which they serve. This book represents more than just a guide to survival. Based on the most current wisdom in psychology and related sciences, it is a resource for thriving in military life and service."

From the Publisher