ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some of the underlying psychological considerations behind the high rates of mental health and suicide for military personnel transitioning from service, which extends beyond the focus of disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The chapter delves into how recruit training conditions military personnel through rigid and harsh training regimes which have been used and developed repeatedly over history to create mission-focused and hypervigilant soldiers that can go against societal norms and kill. The chapter also outlines how the harsh adverse conditions of the military lifestyle are mediated by creating comradeship and a strong attachment to a military identity. Whilst “The Warrior” archetype and military identity are recognized as a source of strength and protection for coping with the military world and combat, the considerations for personnel after transition are explored. This chapter guides the reader through how to assist military personnel to reintegrate back into society after service through a model of individual growth and learning. Considerations for the military family and female veterans are briefly explored. The authors provide military knowledge through their own lived experience of military service and draw on their years of clinical experience as psychologists working with veterans and military personnel.
