You do not currently have permission to view the full text for this document. Please sign in to an account with an active subscription or contact support.
Captain Spiegel gives us an outline of preventive psychiatric measures which can be utilized to help minimize psychiatric casualties in a combat zone, and how such measures can simultaneously increase the fighting efficiency of the soldiers. He points out how the battle situation becomes an acutely personal one for the soldier who often fulfils more than his duty for the sake of maintaining his prestige with his fellow soldiers. Their aggressive action is motivated more by love than by hatred. The bond of comradeship, love of their leader, and identification with the group is the moving force. 'Morale' is a relatively unclear but vital component and must always be considered. The military psychiatrist has three functions: (1) to detect the important factors that give rise to anxiety; (2) to detect the available forces which can effectively thwart or minimize these anxiety-producing factors; (3) to help the command devise practical measures to accomplish this. In order to achieve this result the military psychiatrist must live with his men so that he may be guided by observations based on real experience, rather than by preconceived theoretical speculations.