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Enhancing Human Performance Background Papers, Stress Management (1988) / Chapter Skim
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3 Military Socialization and the Ethos of Training
Pages 82-86

The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.


From page 82...
... . MILITARY SOCIALIZATION AND THE ETHOS OF TRAINING Despite variations across branches of the armed services, military recruit training has a relatively homogeneous process.
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From page 83...
... Their article, published in a highly visible academic publication, selectively focuses on unflattering elements of basic training constructed from limited behavior samples and overplays sexuality (phallic) themes.
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From page 84...
... He does, however, give a distorted view of drill instructor competence, getting too locked into his portrait of them as harsh manipulators grinding out masculine warrior themes. Marine Corps commanders at the battalion, regimental, depot, or Headquarters level do not endorse the archetypal "DI" personification, nor do the NCO supervisors of drill instructors, nor is such an image cast in Drill Instructor School.
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From page 85...
... Moreover, our evaluation data in drill instructor performance show that the angry, impatient, highly activated drill instructor performs poorly and receives low ratings from NCO and officer supervisors. A sanguine view of military socialization can also be fount in the longitudinal research of Elder (1986)
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From page 86...
... In the face of "humanist" criticisms about the nature of basic training, researchers and other social scholars must bear in mind that military institutions indeed have intrinsic defense functions and that training involves preparation for combat with the objective being the destruction of the enemy. Military organizations must therefore utilize methods and techniques of training which provide a realistic test of stress tolerance.
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Key Terms

  • drill instructor
  • military socialization
  • warrior ethic
  • boot camp
  • recruit training

  • vietnam war
  • extensive findings
  • ant maimed
  • conversion process
  • marine corps

  • integral function
  • unflattering elements
  • virtually unseen
  • relatively insulated
  • necessarily involves

  • relative isolation
  • fundamental archetypes
  • represent basic
  • training constructed
  • corps commanders

  • evaluation data
  • resocialization ant
  • limited behavior
  • isolation ant
  • fortunately lack

  • delayed stress
  • homogeneous process
  • overplays sexuality
  • instructor performance
  • piece battles


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