On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society (42 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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imprisonment rates, American, 299-301

social stigma of enjoying, 236

ineffective firing, 9-15

stages of emotional response to, 111-12

intent, in war, 105-06

killing, resistance to, 1 -4,29-30,36,37-39,

intentional miss, 9-15

59-60, 87, 334

Israeli military forces, 43, 52, 175, 273

American violence and, 304

Itzin, Catherine, 325

bayoneting, 122, 123

360

INDEX

killing, resistance to
(continued)

killing of, 174

in Civil War, 22, 24, 25, 27

motivation of troops by, 90, 143-46,

at close range, 118-19, 131, 132-33

168, 334

in executions, 209

Lee, Robert E., 26

factors affecting, 186—92

legal affirmation, 165—67

increase at 50% casualty point, 149

Leinbaugh, Harold, 333

society's need to overcome, 226-27

Leonhard, Robert, 80

training to overcome, 250-61

Levin, Jack, 346

in treatment of surrendering soldiers, 200

life instinct (Eros), 37, 332

killing response stages, 111-12, 231-45,

Lind, William, 80, 333

343-44

long-range killing, 108-10

actual kill, 231, 233, 343

Lord, F. A., 21

concern, 231, 232—33

Lorenz, Konrad, 6, 151

exhilaration. Sec exhilaration, of killing

Lost Battalion of World War I, 148

murder-suicides, 241-43

of nonkillers, 244

Mac Arthur, Douglas, 69

rationalization/acceptance.
See

machine-gun crews, 18, 108, 153

rationalization and acceptance, of

machine guns, 11, 104, 154

killing

Majdalany, Fred, 126

remorse, 231, 235, 236-37, 241, 243

Manchester, William, 75, 87-88, 115-16,

kill rates, 10-12, 333-34

179, 337

Rhodesia, 178-79

maneuver warfare, 80

Vietnam War, 254, 334, 336

Marchand, W. E., 43-44, 61,180,181,184,

World War II, 30,110,161-62,184-85

189, 235

Kinnard, General, 333

Marcus Aurelius, 38

knife range, 129-30

Marin, Peter, 35-36, 91, 96

Knight-Adkin, James H„ 94, 335

Marine Corps, U.S., 82, 147, 253

Koch, Traute, 101

Marks, T. P., 200

Korean War, 280

Marsh, Peter, 6

exhaustion in, 69

Marshall, John Douglas, 333—34

firing rate, 35, 181, 251, 344

MarshaU, S. L. A., 1, 3, 15-16, 20, 29-30,

posturing in, 8

33, 35, 118, 139, 144, 150, 181,

rear, attack from, 81

184-85, 189, 251, 333-34, 344

Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth, 231

Master, John, 18

Mater, Milton, 27-28, 34-35, 333

law-enforcement agencies, 320, 339

Mauldin, Bill, 69, 147

shoot-no shoot program, 257, 260, 315

Mau Mau Uprising, 162

training of, 256

maximum-range killing, 107-08

Lawrence, T. E., 195-96

Mclntyre, Benjamin, 11

leaders, 334

McKenna, Bob, 121

in atrocities, 224

means of killing, 171-73, 189

bonding to, 144, 210-11

mechanical distance, 108, 109, 158, 160,

denial by, 148, 168

169-70, 189, 340

fears of, 64-65

medals.
See
honors, value of

fortitude replenished by, 85

media.
See also
movies, violence in;

guilt of, 90-91, 147-48

television, violence in; video games,

honors for, 91

violence in

INDEX

361

sex-aggression linkage, 135

Murry, Simon, 72, 94

violence in, 34, 88, 324-30

muskets, 9, 10, 11, 18-19, 20, 21-25

medical personnel, 62—64, 335

My Lai incident, 104, 136, 145, 163, 187,

medical technology, 301, 304

190-91, 314

Medved, Michael, 326, 328

memorials.
See
monuments, role of

Nagasaki, bombing of, 108

memory, effect of, 75, 95-96

name-calling, 161, 252

mentally ill.
See
psychiatric casualties Napoleon, 17, 67, 70, 154

mercenaries, 145, 180, 224

Napoleonic Wars, 8, 9, 10, 122, 184, 333

Metelmann, Henry, 158-59

Narut, Dr., 306-07

midbrain, 8, 9

natural soldiers, 61, 180—85

midrange killing, 110-12, 118

naval personnel

Milgram, Stanley, 141-43, 144, 187-89,

fear of, 58-59

190

killing by, 107-08

Military Academy, U.S., 82

psychiatric casualties, 58-59

military history, role of, 33-34

resistance to killing by, 59

miss, intentional, 9-15

Navy, U.S., 68, 160

missile crews, 108

Nazi concentration camps, 102—05, 106,

mock firing, 21—25

215

Moluccan train siege, 159

denial of, 211-12

Montgomery, Field Marshal, 85-86

hate in, 78-79

monuments, role of, 264, 274-75.
See also
Nazis, 161-62

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

atrocities, 195, 206, 208-09

moral distance, 99, 158, 160, 164-67, 189,

war against Russia, 214

209, 339-40

New Guinea tribes, 12

moral framework

Newson, Elizabeth, 328

of conditioning, 292-93

nightmares, 47

for killing, 180, 196-202, 226-27,

night-vision devices, 169, 172

337-39

noble enemy, killing of, 195-96

prisoners, treatment of, 203—04

Nock, Arthur, 12

moral pain.
See
guilt

noise

Moran, Lord, 58, 63, 72, 83, 84, 85, 86,

as posturing, 8—9

125, 205, 234, 276

trauma caused by, 112—13, 116

Morris, Jim, 201

noncombatants, killing of, 174-76, 194

Moskos, Charles C, Jr., 344, 345

nonfirers, 15-16, 29

motive, for killing, 171, 173-76, 189

in Falklands War, 178, 258

movies, violence in, 34, 95, 261, 302,

in U.S. Civil War, 17-27

323-30

in Vietnam War, 250

classical conditioning, 308-11

in World War I, 27-28

role models, 319-22

in World War II, 3-4

murder, 174, 195, 337, 342

nonkillers, 62-64, 233

in America, 299-301, 304

at close range, 118-19

mass, 208-10

group influence and, 155

medical technology and, 301, 304

guilt of, 89-91

of prisoners and civilians, 199-205

at midrange, 118

murder-suicides, 241—43

post-traumatic stress disorder and,

Murphy, Audie, 155

284-85

362

I N D E X

nonkillers
(continued)

physical revulsion, 115, 236, 241, 295

response to killing by, 244

physiological exhaustion, 69—71

who are prepared to kill, 259-60

piercing, of enemy's body, 120-21

Norris, W., 46

pikes, use of, 120, 154

pilots

obedience-demanding authority, 141—48,

combat addiction of, 234, 235

182, 187, 209, 295, 334, 341, 342

killing by, 30, 59-60, 79, 107, 110,

in atrocities, 221, 224—26

181-82, 184

training to accept, 260-61, 319

police.
See
law-enforcement agencies

video games and, 303, 314

political will, for war, 340

O'Brien, Tim, 190

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 77,

obsessions, 47-48, 233, 234-36

281-89

officers.
See
leaders

intensity
of
trauma and, 283, 285

older comrades, role of, 263, 265

killing and, 282-84

Ooley, Robert, 91

manifestations of, 282

operant conditioning, 177, 252-53, 255,

medical personnel, 335

302, 313-16, 317, 340

of nonkillers, 284-85

opportunity to kill, 171-73, 189

social support and, 283, 285, 287, 289,

oppressed peoples, disloyalty of, 205

334-35, 345

treatment of, 293

Palmer, Dave, 248

of Vietnam veterans, 47, 48, 248, 279,

Panama invasion, 13, 240, 257-58, 273

282, 287-89, 291, 344

parades, role of, 264,274, 276,280,286,293

of World War II veterans, 285-87

paranoid trends, 48

posturing, 5-9, 11, 12, 13, 21, 71,

parasympathetic nervous system, 70

126-27, 181

paratroopers, 68, 206

poverty, effect of, 303

Pastora, Eden, 14

Pratchett, Terry, 340-41

patrols behind enemy lines, 60-62

prisoners of war

Pavlov, I. P., 252-53, 255

bombing of, 57-58, 79

Pavlovian conditioning.
See
classical executions of, 216

conditioning

fears of, 57-58

peer pressure, 27, 30, 89-90, 150, 224-26

murder of, 199-205, 209

Perrin, Noel, 330

uses of, 204-05

Perry, Ted, 291

proximity of medical treatment, 49, 269

personal kills.
See
close-range killing Prussian military, 10-11, 19

phalanx, 146, 153-54

psychiatric casualties, 43-50,94-96.
See also
physical danger, pursuit of, 76

post-traumatic stress disorder

physical distance, effect of, 97-137, 187,

(PTSD); trauma, psychological

188, 340

civilian victims of war, 55-57

close-range killing, 110, 114-37

drugs to treat, 270-71

edged-weapons range, 120-30

fear as cause of, 51—66

hand-grenade range, 112-13

guilt and, 91

hand-to-hand-combat range, 131—33

loss of fortitude and, 83

long-range killing, 108-10

manifestations of, 45-48

maximum-range killing, 107-08

medical personnel, 62-64, 335

midrange killing, 110-12

naval combat, 58-59

sexual range, 134—37

officers, 64-65

INDEX

363

patrols behind enemy lines, 60—62

role models, 303, 317-23

prisoners of war, 57—58

Roman military forces, 121, 145—46, 154,

treatment of, 48-50, 293

336

Vietnam War, 269, 277-78

Rorkes Drift batUe, 11

World War II, 269

Rosenthal, A. M., 327

psychological distance, 128, 160, 169, 324.

Roupell, George, 12, 333

See also
emotional distance, effect of Rwanda, 121

psychopaths, aggressive, 50, 61, 124,

Ryan, Cornelius, 211

180-85, 189, 235

as Nazi death camp officers, 78-79

post-war behavior of, 181

safe areas, 263, 267-68, 287-88

psychotic personality, 48

sailors.
See
naval personnel

PTSD.
See
post-traumatic stress disorder Santoli, Al, 267

(PTSD)

scapegoats, 210-11

punishment justification, 165, 167, 339

schizoid trends, 48

screams.
See
noise

Seaton, Albert, 211

quick kill, 253, 257

secret police, 210

self-deception, 33

racism, effect of, 303.
See also
cultural self-defense, 173, 174, 195

distance

self-inflicted wounds, 78

raids behind enemy lines, 60—61

self-preservation, 27, 225, 226

Rand Corporation air-raid study, 56, 65

Seligman, Martin, 81

rape, 77, 137, 210-11, 220-21, 285

senses, effect of combat on, 74—75

rationalization and acceptance

Sepoy Mutiny, 121, 162

of killing, 231, 233, 237-40, 243,

sexuality, 31—32

262-80, 343

aggression and, 134-37

of not killing, 233

piercing of enemy's body, sexual

rear, attack from, 81.
See also
safe areas connotations of, 121

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

sexual range, killing at, 134—37

reconnaissance patrols, 60

Shalit, Ben, 31, 52-53, 136, 144, 151, 156,

refugees, 81

161, 171, 173, 187, 189, 273, 317

religiosity, extreme, 48

Sherman, William Tecumseh, 74

Remarque, Erich Maria, 125

shoot-no shoot program, 257, 260, 315

remorse.
See
guilt

Sidney, Philip, 85

resensitization, 325-32

Skinner, B. F., 177, 252, 253, 255, 313,

reserve forces, 71

316, 340

responsibility, diffusion of, 225, 295, 303.

sleep, lack of, 71-72

See also
group absolution

Slim, Field Marshal, 112, 235

rest and recuperation, 49

smell, sense of, 74

revenge, 179, 320

smoothbore muskets, 10, 19

Revolutionary War, U.S., 166

snipers, 108-09, 336, 340

Rhodesia, 178-79, 258, 340

combat fixation of, 235

Richardson, Frank, 116

training of, 254-55

rifled muskets, 18-19

in Vietnam War, 172-73

rifles, 9

social distance, 158, 160, 167-69, 188, 209

Rogel, William, 232

social learning, 303, 306, 317-22

364

I N D E X

social support structure, 264, 274-80, 293,

sympathetic nervous system, 70

294, 334-35, 340-41.
See also

condemnation, of Vietnam veterans

tank fire, 108

for leaden, 91

target attractiveness, model of, 171,295,341

post-traumatic stress disorder and, 283,

taste, sense of, 74

285, 287, 289, 345

Taylor, James, 200

for World War II veterans, 286-87

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