The Challenges of Military Veterans in Their Transition to the Workplace: A Call for Integrating Basic and Applied Psychological Science

Abstract

Long-standing structural features of the military have created a culture and society that is dramatically different and disconnected from civilian society. Thus, veterans transitioning to civilian society face a number of challenges related to fulfilling basic psychological needs (e.g., need for structure and order, belonging) and civilians’ reliance on stereotypes to understand military veterans. In an attempt to enrich the understanding of these challenges, we integrate social psychological theories and insights with research from sociology, clinical psychology, military psychology, and organizational behavior. Theories of compensatory control, stereotype threat, and stereotyping are drawn on to help explain the psychological challenges that veterans may encounter during their transition to civilian society. We present recent research that leverages these theories to understand issues veterans face. This theoretical integration illustrates the opportunity and potential for psychological researchers to conduct basic and applied research in the context of veterans and for clinicians and managers to draw on basic theory to inform programs and interventions.

Strengths and vulnerabilities: Comparing post-9/11 U.S. veterans’ and non-veterans’ perceptions of health and broader well-being

“…In addition, this knowledge can be used to correct inaccurate veteran stereotypes among members of the general public. This is an important goal, as research indicates that many individuals endorse veteran stereotypes that may be harmful to their post-military readjustment ( Mobbs & Bonanno, 2018 ; Shepherd et al, 2019 ; Shephard et al, 2021 ; Stone, 2020 ; Stone & Stone, 2015 ), including the belief that most veterans experience mental health conditions as a consequence of their military service ( Kime, 2017 ).…”

Exploring the Role of Social Connection in Interventions With Military Veterans Diagnosed With Post-traumatic Stress Disorder: Systematic Narrative Review

“…As the studies suggest, the issues of alienation and stigmatization can be countered effectively, but also subtly (Ragsdale et al, 1996;Bensimon et al, 2008Bensimon et al, , 2012Bergen-Cico et al, 2018;Crowe et al, 2018;Cushing et al, 2018;Johnson et al, 2018;Murphy, 2018, 2020;Pezzin et al, 2018;Bolman, 2019;McLaughlin and Hamilton, 2019;Galsgaard and Eskelund, 2020). The panoply of issues, logistical and psychological, encountered by a veteran transitioning from the military to civilian life need to have been effectively identified, pre-empted and addressed (Obenchain and Silver, 1991;Johnson et al, 2004;Azevedo et al, 2016;Lawrence et al, 2017Lawrence et al, , 2019Matthieu et al, 2017;Weiss et al, 2018;Bauer et al, 2021) as is highlighted in recent research and policy focused on understanding the needs of, and supporting, veterans through transition (Keats, 2010;Royal British Legion, 2014;SSAFA, 2017;Cooper et al, 2018;HM Government, 2018;Sonethavillay et al, 2018;National Health Service England, 2019;Shepherd et al, 2020;Ministry of Defence, 2021a). A significant number of the studies also highlight the importance of trust (Obenchain and Silver, 1991;Johnson et al, 2004;Azevedo et al, 2016;Beidel et al, 2017;Lawrence et al, 2017Lawrence et al, , 2019Matthieu et al, 2017;…”

“…Further recent research from two of the largest UK military charities, Royal British Legion and the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (Royal British Legion, 2014;SSAFA, 2017) indicates that 41% of veterans surveyed (over 2,000 veterans, aged 18-64, participated) had personally experienced loneliness or social isolation and 27% had experienced suicidal ideation, since transitioning from the military to civilian life. Shepherd et al (2020) highlight the many challenges of transition and throw light upon cultural and structural differences between the military and civilian communities which facilitate and aggravate these difficulties. A recent US military family lifestyle survey (Sonethavillay et al, 2018) reported that 47% of veteran families had a difficult or very difficult transition experience due to loss of connection and purpose, stress, depression and suicidal thoughts.…”

Inequality, Military Veteran Transitions, and Beyond: Compensatory Control Theory and Its Application to Real World Social Justice Problems

“…The military is a fascinating context with which to study control because it is a “total institution” that asks its members to adopt its values, norms, and practices (McGarry et al, 2015 ; Moore, 2017 ). The military provides a significant degree of structure, order, and reliability to its members, a level of environmental structure that is in sharp contrast to less structured civilian environments (Shepherd et al, 2021 ). In ongoing research conducted with transitioning military veterans, we have sought to expand CCT by exploring the consequences of having external sources of control become a substantial method of satisfying a person’s pursuit of order and structure.…”

“…We raise this line of work here because it nicely illustrates an important point: not only can basic theory help inform applied issues, but transporting basic theory to new applied contexts can help inform and refine the theory itself (Wiesenfeld & Brockner, 2012 ). That is, using CCT to understand the military to civilian transition experience not only has the potential to inform efforts to aid military veterans in their transition to the workplace by identifying social psychological factors for intervention (see Shepherd et al, 2021 for discussion) but it also allows for the extension of CCT in several theoretical directions which we are currently exploring.…”