The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society - Essay Example

It is stated that conventional training has been modified into a combat simulator. According to Richard Holmes, an army trained using traditional World War II methods is ineffective compared to the one using modern training methods. The significance of modern training can also be witnessed in the 1970’s Rhodesian war (Grossman 178). It is also stated that the new loss of associates and adored leaders in war can cause violence on the battlefield. The chapter explains that 2% of males will execute without remorse or regret if forced or given a valid reason (Grossman 180).

Also, Marshall’s World War II figure of a 15-20% firing rate complement’s the 2% figure. Dyer’s World War II figure of 1% of U.S Army Air Corps fighters being responsible for 40% of deaths is seen to be general in keeping with the 2% figure. The DSM-III-R also states that the incidence of anti-social personality disorder among American males is almost 3%. Despite not being usually used in armies, armies have succeeded in using psychopaths in war. It is stated that both genetics and environmental processes contribute to aggression. Finally, Carl Jung claims that archetypes can motivate people by channeling their libidinal energy (Grossman 184).