On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (41 page)

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Authors: Dave Grossman

Tags: #Military, #war, #killing

BOOK: On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society
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nonfirers in, 17-27

through atrocities, 210-11, 214-15

social support for, 279-80

Borowski, Tadeusz, 102-04

civil wars, 25, 160, 166

Bosnia, 211, 215

classical conditioning, 252-53, 255, 317

Bray, D., 198, 238

in military, 306-08

Brennan, Matt, 92

by movies and television, 302, 308-11

Bridger, Barry, 110

Clausewitz, Carl von, 13, 71, 96, 128

British Airborne Brigade, 82

close-range assault, 80, 81

British army, class structure in, 168

close-range killing, 110, 114-37, 341-42.

British Defense Operational Analysis

See also
executions

Establishment, 16

of civilians.
See
civilians, close-range British Gurkha battalions, 126

killing of

British Royal Air Force, 100

remorse for, 236-37

Broadfoot, Barry, 70

Cold Harbor, Battle of, 25-27

Brown, R. K., 335

combat addiction, 234-36

buck fever, 29, 231

combat simulators, 177-78

356

I N D E X

commandos, 129, 180

cultural distance, 158, 160-64, 188, 190,

compulsive states, 47

209

comrades, accountability to, 149-51,

Custer's cavalry, 57

152—53, 173, 233.
See also
bonding;

peer pressure

darkness, effect of, 72, 169, 172

comrades, recent loss of, 179, 189, 330, 342

Davidson, S., 335

concentration camps.
See
Nazi

Dearden, Harold, 200

concentration camps

death

condemnation, of Vietnam veterans, 250,

empowerment through, 206

276-80, 288-89, 290

instinct (Thanatos), 37, 332

conditioning.
See also
drill, military obsession with, 47

for ambush or raid patrols, 61

democracies, 340

of assassins, 161, 306-07

Dengler, Dieter, 117

authority, role of, 260-61, 303, 314,319

denial, 137, 237, 279

effectiveness of, 257-59, 341

of atrocities, 211-13, 215

for hand-to-hand combat, 132, 190

cracks in veil of, 156—58

to increase firing rate, 18, 35, 177-79,

in executions, 201

181, 189, 233

by firing squads, 343

to increase firing rates, 334

by leaders, 148

post-traumatic stress disorder and,

of mass murders, 209

283-84, 291

of midrange killing, 111-12

posturing, effect on, 13

as response to killing, 91-93

in Vietnam era, 178, 250, 252-55

social distance and, 168

violence in U.S. and, 302-03,

denial defense mechanisms, 255-56, 260, 261

306-16, 325

depression, 84-85, 149, 150

confusional states, 45-46

desensitization, 161, 256, 307—08

Congo, atrocities in, 217-21

Vietnam era, 161, 251-52, 259-60, 304

Conrad, Joseph, 214, 342

violence in U.S. and, 261, 304, 311, 328

conscientious objectors, 1, 25, 29

Detmer, Douglas, 278, 280

continuous combat, 43—45, 48, 84

Devereux, James, 147

exhaustion and, 69

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental
fraternization with enemy during,

Disorders (DSM-III-R),
77, 84, 182,

158-60

282, 340

Contras, 14, 224

Dilulio.JohnJ., 301

conversion hysteria, 46—47

Dinter, E., 92, 149

convulsive attacks, 46

Disraeli, Benjamin, 339

cooldown period, 271-73, 285-86, 293

distance, effect of, 97-99, 188-89, 341

Cooper, Jeff, 207

American violence and, 303

courage, 83-84, 224

emotional distance, 98, 156-70, 303

cowardice, 31, 84

in executions, 201

Cramer, Chuck, 254

face of victim as factor in, 128

crew-served weapons, 153, 340.
See also

physical distance.
See
physical distance, artillery; bomber crews

effect of

Crimean War, 122, 144

divorce, effect of, 290, 291, 322, 345

Crook, General, 12

Douhet, Giulio, 55

cult killings, 210, 211

Doyle, Edward, 197

I N D E X

357

Dresden, firebombing of, 101

epileptoid character reactions, 48

drill, military, 17-18, 20, 24, 27

Eros (life instinct), 37, 332

drill sergeants, 190, 317-19

euphoria, post-killing.
See
exhilaration, of drug use

killing

American violence and, 303, 304

evacuation syndrome, 48-49

by Vietnam veterans, 290, 345

executions, 128, 191-92, 201-02

in Vietnam War, 269, 270-71, 345

defined, 201

DSM-III-R. See Diagnostic and Statistical

mass, 208-10

Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-

of prisoners, 201, 209, 216

III-R)

refusal to participate in, 224, 225-26

Du Picq, Ardant, 9-10, 12, 21, 23, 107,

resistance to killing and, 209

125, 127, 128, 131, 143, 150, 151,

of surrendering soldiers, 199-202

171, 333

exhaustion

Dupuy, Trevor, 161

combat, 44, 51, 54, 67-73, 94

Dye, Dale, 255

emotional, 83-85, 94

Dyer, Gwynne, 6, 15-16, 18, 30, 59, 61,

in Nazi death camps, 78

79, 91, 100, 101, 102, 107-08, 110,

in training, 67-68

150, 164, 180, 181, 184, 191, 199,

Well of Fortitude and, 83-86

209, 250, 251-52, 265, 302, 312,

exhilaration, of killing, 111-12, 115, 231,

333, 344

234-36, 241, 242, 243-45

expectancy of return to combat, 49, 269

Early, John, 90

edged-weapons range, 120—30

ego, 37

Falklands War, 13, 126, 136, 178, 256,

Eibl-Eibesfeldt, I., 343

257-58, 273, 293

1812, War of, 166

families, dissolution of, 322, 323

elation, post-killing.
See
exhilaration, of fatigue cases, 45

killing

fear, 30, 51-66

elderly, return of memories to, 75

of atrocities, 207

elements, effect of.
See
weather, effect of by civilian victims, 54-57, 65

emotional distance, effect of, 98, 156-70,

of death and injury, 52-54

303.
See also
psychological distance

of facing aggression, 76-78

emotional exhaustion, 83-85, 94

fortitude to face, 83

emotional hypertension, 47

of medical personnel, 62-64

emotional response to killing.
See
killing of naval personnel, 58-59, 65

response stages

of not supporting comrades, 53, 90

empathic distance, effect of, 97, 98

of officers, 64-65

empathy

patrols behind enemy lines and,

absence of, 182-83

60-62, 65

aggression and, 160

of prisoners of war, 57-58, 65

for soldiers, 105

fearlessness, 84

for victims, 105, 106, 237

Fergusson, General, 94

enemy

fighter pilots.
See
pilots

fraternization with, 158-60

fight-or-flight dichotomy, 5-9, 21, 69,

identification with, 110, 237, 238, 244

71, 94

enemy lines, patrols behind, 60-62

firing, ineffective, 9-15.
See also
nonfirers 358

I N D E X

firing rates.
See also
hit rates, of soldiers; GI Bill, 287

kill rates

Goodwin, Jim, 268, 276, 286

Korean War.
See
Korean War

Graham, Douglas, 12

training to increase, 35, 177—78, 189,

Grant, Robert, 63

334

Grant, Ulysses S., 25

Vietnam War.
See
Vietnam War

Graves, Jim, 208

World War II.
See
World War II

Gray, J. Glenn, 17, 33, 38, 96, 97,105, 107,

firing squads, 191-92, 224, 225, 343

137, 194, 223, 225, 227

fixation, 343

Greek military forces, 145-46

on killing, 233, 234-36, 344

Greene, Bob, 276, 278, 279

on not killing, 233

Grenada conflict, 273

flight, 5-9, 21, 57

Griffith, Paddy, 7, 10, 20, 21, 24, 118, 126,

back stabbing during, 127-29, 173

127, 184, 333, 344

from bayonets, 122, 125-27

group, role of, 149-51, 263-64, 268-70,

exhaustion and, 69, 71, 94

293, 334, 340.
See also
peer pressure food deprivation, 69, 72, 94

group absolution, 108, 109, 110, 149-55,

forebrain, 8

187-88, 209, 341.
See also

fortitude, 51, 83-86

responsibility, diffusion of

depression and, 84—85

anonymity and, 151-53

individuals and, 83-84

in atrocities, 224-25

replenishment of, 85

guerrilla warfare, 163, 194, 196-99

units, depletion in, 85—86

guilt, 51, 53, 54, 87-89, 111, 112,115, 231,

forward treatment, 49, 269

235, 236-37, 289, 343

Foster, John, 237

ability to kill without, 180

4-F, classification as, 43

for atrocities, 223

Fowler, Bob, 179

for comrades' deaths, 75

Frank, Jerome, 25

condemnation and, 279

Frankl, Victor, 78, 335

for enemy deaths, 75

fraternization with enemy, 158—60

exhilaration and, 243-45

Frederick the Great, 17

fortitude to face, 83

Freeman, John Barry, 146

of leaders, 90-91, 147-48

French Dahomey expedition, 175

of mass murders, 209

Freud, Sigmund, 31, 32, 37, 142, 324, 337

murder-suicides, 241

Fromm, Erich, 160

of nations, 242

Fussell, Paul, 80, 104

of nonkillers, 89-91, 260

psychologists' inadequate response to,

Gabriel, Richard, 12, 21, 30, 41, 43, 45, 47,

96, 293

48,49, 57-58,94,149,272,276-77,

Gulf War, 169, 242, 273, 293, 342, 344

333, 334, 345

gunpowder, 9, 154

gain through illness theory, 56-57, 59, 61

guns.
See also
specific guns, e.g., muskets gang leaders, 145, 210, 303

role in American violence, 303—04, 347

gangs, behavior of, 6-7, 211, 303, 321, 342

sex-aggression linkage, 135

Ganzer syndrome, 45-46

gas, use of, 95, 331

Hadley, Arthur, 271

Gavin, James, 174

hallucinations, 67-68, 71

Geneva conventions, 203, 204, 263

Hamburg, bombing of, 100-01, 104-05

Gettysburg, Battle of, 21-22, 24, 25

hand-grenade killing, 112-13

INDEX

359

hand-to-hand combat, 98, 131-33, 337

Japan, treatment of Chinese prisoners by,

Harris, Bob, 68

209

Hartmann, Erich, 181-82

Jenkins, Simon, 327

Harvey, J. Douglas, 104

John, Dr., 15

hate, 51, 54, 80-81, 126.
See also
Wind Jordan, Bill, 256

of Hate

Jung, Carl, 184

in daily lives, 76-78

Junger, Ernst, 200

fortitude to face, 82, 83

in Nazi death camps, 78-79

karate, 131-32, 337

Hathcock, Carlos, 254

Kathman, Michael, 2, 155

hearing, sense of, 74

Keegan, John, 10, 87, 88, 113, 114, 115,

Heckler, Richard, 5, 100, 137, 184, 241,

118, 122, 130, 223,344

299, 330, 331

Keen, Sam, 12

Heinlein, Robert, 3

Keenan, George, 83

helmets, 174

Kent, J. A., 234

heroism, 83

killing

Hiroshima, bombing of, 102, 105, 108

empowerment by, 208—10

Hider, Adolf, 161

murder-suicides, 241—43

hit rates, of soldiers, 10—12.
See also
firing obsession with, 233, 234-36

rates; kill rates

societal fascination with, 3

Civil War, 19, 24-25, 25-27

killing, burden of, 87-93, 95

Hobbes, Thomas, 324

killing, enabling of, 187

Holmes, Richard, 10, 11-12, 38, 71, 75,

American violence and, 303—05

84, 87, 88, 94-95, 108, 111, 112,

conditioning, effect of.
See
conditioning 113, 114, 115, 116, 118, 123, 125,

distance as factor in.
See
distance, effect of 130, 136, 160, 165, 169, 170, 175,

groups, effect of, 149-55

178, 186, 195, 199-200, 223, 232,

leadership, effect of, 143-46

235, 252, 256, 258, 282, 333, 344

in media, 328, 331

homelessness, of Vietnam veterans, 290

peer pressure effect on.
See
peer pressure honors, value of, 91, 263, 264

recent loss, effect of, 179, 189

Horowitz, David, 212

target attractiveness, model of, 171, 189

horror, of combat, 31, 51, 54, 74-75, 83,

killing, in combat, 2,3-4,30-31,32-34,66

94-95, 290

distance, effect of.
See
distance, effect of hostile intent, in war, 105-06

means and opportunity, 171-73, 189

hostility.
See
aggression

model of, 341-42

hypertension, emotional, 47

motive for, 171, 173-76, 189

hysteria, 46-47, 47

murder distinguished from, 195

of noble enemy, 195-96

id, 37

predisposition to, 124, 176-85, 187,

illness, gain through.
See
gain through 189, 340, 341, 342

illness theory

to preserve freedom, 226-27

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