ABSTRACT
As one looks backward from the beginning of the twentieth century, it is inescapable how pre-emptive human conflict has been on fascinating and necessary research in all conceivable disciplines. The two world wars of the twentieth century were perhaps the most intrusive to those engaged in non-military research. World War I particularly influenced the research and development into the field of applied psychology within the military realm and formal academia alike. The development of psychometrics for the selection of specific military applications, assessment, counseling and therapy of soldiers, were all stimulated by a world at war. The initiatives within the Republic of South Africa (RSA) military sphere are profound in this regard and both formative and pioneering in the field of the applied behavioral sciences. The formation of the Military Psychological Institute and its applied derivatives within the South African Air Force, are not only historically noteworthy, but contemporarily functioning.
