MISSION COMPLETION, TROOP WELFARE AND DESTRUCTIVE IDEALISM: A case study on the phenomenology of a combat veteran's social reintegration

Gary Senecal (gsenecal@holycross.edu)
MaryCatherine McDonald (mymcdona@odu.edu)

Abstract

Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among combat veterans remains an urgent and intractable problem for those who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this paper, we argue that one of the reasons that combat related PTSD remains so difficult to treat is because psychologists - and American culture at large - do not fully understand it yet. It is our contention that there are two contributing factors that currently hinder our ability to successfully treat combat related PTSD. The first is a failure to look critically at the theoretical underpinnings that ground our current understanding of the disorder. The second related issue is our tendency to look to reductionist explanations and treatments. We use the theoretical framework of phenomenology alongside a case study of a man we call James in order to present this argument.

Keywords: Trauma, PTSD, Combat Trauma, Phenomenology, Social Reintegration, Idealism, Goal Orientation

Author Biographies

Gary Senecal received his PhD in psychology from the University of West Georgia in 2015. For the last three years, he has worked as a visiting professor of psychology at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. During this time, he has taught courses ranging from Introduction to Psychology, History and Theory of Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Sports Psychology, and Military Psychology - the Social Reintegration of Veterans. His research focuses on the social psychology of violence, the theoretical psychology of violence, masculine identity, and the career transitions of individuals who have retired from or been deselected from careers that exposed them to regular violent endeavors (in particular, contact sport athletes and military veterans). He is a current member of the Army Reserves and sports psychology consultant, as well as a former collegiate football player and former college football coach.  He currently resides in Worcester, MA with his wife and two children.

MaryCatherine McDonald is an Assistant Professor at Old Dominion University. Her research lies at the junction of phenomenology and psychology. She also works in the philosophy of technology, specifically as it relates to mental illness diagnostics and treatment methods. She has recently published essays on the phenomenology of combat trauma and the history of posttraumatic stress disorder.

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