According to Willis, "habit and practice help the willingness and capacity to kill on command. The new recruit or volunteer may, and likely has, the innate reservation against killing anyone. Yet day in and day out, the 'normal' person is saturated with intellectual, physical, and emotional reinforcements and repetitions, to become prepared to kill. Centuries of military methods have been polished and refined to cope with any individual whose natural resistance to killing remains intransigent." (Willis, p. 1)
These are instincts that can be difficult to 'turn off' as it were. This means that the therapist trained on how best to deal with such individuals must understand with empathy the aggression and the propensity toward violence which might be exhibited by the patient. This also means that the therapist must sometimes make decisions with respect to protecting the health and well-being of the family and children of such an afflicted...
Indeed, the condition is not uniform in the way that it impacts veterans. According to Hausman (2002), studies have "uncovered higher PTSD prevalence rates and adjustment problems among African-American and Hispanic veterans than among their white counterparts." (Hausman, p. 1) This may relate to some of the racial realities preceding service or to some of the realities that minorities return to upon discharge. In any event, I expect that diversity issues should play a part in choosing the intervention appropriate for individuals and for their families.
Works Cited:
Hausman, K. (2002). Race-Related Stressors Can Trigger PTSD. Psychiatric News, 37(18).
Willis, J.D. (2010). On Human Nature, Killing, Soldiers, PTSD -- and Our Ethical Duties. Leadership Ethics Online.
