Reveals the psychological challenges facing men and women in the armed forces. These volumes highlight factors that make members of the military resilient and stable, as well as programmes and practices that can ease the psychological burdens of military personnel, families, and children.

Sample Chapters from the Four Volumes Volume 1: Military Performance Section I: First Person What Has Befallen Me? The Psychological Aftermath of Combat Spencer J. Campbell Section II: Human Dimensions of Military Operations Psychological Aspects of Combat Robert K. Gifford Psychological Operations in Combat, Peacekeeping, and Fighting Terrorism Steven Collins Section III: Physiological and Cognitive Dimensions of Military Operation Sleep Loss: Implications for Operational Effectiveness and Current Solutions Nancy J. Wesensten, Gregory Belenky, and Thomas J. Balkin Decision-Making and Performance under Stress James E. Driskel, Eduardo Salas, and Joan Johnston Section IV: Social and Personality Dimensions of Military Operations Morale during Military Operations: A Positive Psychology Approach Thomas W. Britt and James M. Dickinson Volume 2: Operational Stress Section I: First Person Kilroy Was Here: Reflections of a Psychiatrist in Combat Robert L. Koffman Section II: Psychological Preparation for Warfare Joining the Ranks: The Role of Indoctrination in Transforming Civilians to Service Members Dennis McGurk, Dave I. Cotting, Thomas W. Britt and Amy B. Adler Enhancing Mental Readiness in Military Personnel Megan M. Thompson and Donald R. McCreary Section III: Psychological Demans During and After Deployment Combat Stress Control: Putting Principle into Practice Steve J. Lewis Predictors and Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Military Veterans Shira Maguen, Michael Suvak, and Brett T. Litz Section IV: Organizational Responses to Psychological Challenges Human Spirituality, Resilience, and the Role of Military Chaplains Thomas C. Waynick, Peter J. Frederich, David M. Scheider, Ronald H. Thomas, and Glen L. Bloomstrom Social Climates: Drivers of Soldier Well-being and Resilience Paul D. Bliese Volume 3: Military Family Section I: First Person Army Wife, Army Mother Doris Durand Section II: Challenges Facing the Military Spouse Maintaining Family Resiliency Before, During, and After Military Separation Tina Watson Wiens and Pauline Boss Section III: Family Diversity Single Military Parents in the New Millennium Michelle L. Kelley The Challenges and Benefits of Dual-Military Marriages Ann H. Huffman and Stephanie C. Payne Voices from the Backseat: Demands of Growing Up in Military Families Morten G. Ender Section IV: Work-Family Conflict among Military Personnel Work-Family Conflict among Military Personnel Gary A. Adams, Steve M. Jex, and Christopher J. L. Cunningham Volume 4: Military Culture Section I: First Person Military Culture and Values: A Personal View Guy L. Siebold Section II: Military Values Culture's Consequences in the Military Joseph L. Soeters, Christina-Rodica Poponete, and Joseph T. Page Jr. Military Courage Carl Andrew Castro Section III: Diverse Groups The U.S. Reserve Component: Training Strategies for Adapting to Deployment Robert A. Wisher and Michael W. Freeman The Role of Women in the Military Penny F. Pierce Sexual Orientation and Military Service: Prospects for Organizational and Individual Change in the United States Gregory M. Herek and Aaron Belkin Section IV: Perspectives on the Military Life in Wartime: Realtime News, Realtime Critique, Fighting in the New Media Environment Cori E. Dauber Poultry and PatriotismL Attitudes towards the U.S. Military Janice H. Laurence

"This four-volume anthology incorporates psychological variables that have been empirically demonstrated to influence military performance. Discussions are organized around the four defining fields of applied military psychology. The timing of publication is fortuitous, given US military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The significance of these works is enhanced further in light of the country's 30-plus years of experience with its All-Volunteer Force (AVF) and the diversity of missions the AVF has been asked to address. Each volume offers interesting perspectives for military scholars; each is introduced with a personal essay and concludes with a chapter on future directions....Recommended. Graduate students/faculty/specialists." - Choice

"This extraordinary compilation could not be more timely. Military Life: The Psychology of Serving in Peace and Combat offers a path-breaking analysis of military performance coupled with much new data. We are indebted to the editors and contributors for insightful and original perspectives on military behavior in various contexts including combat, peacekeeping and fighting insurgents. These volumes are an invaluable resource of military leaders, social scientists and, most importantly, the concerned citizenry."

"This extraordinary compilation could not be more timely. Military Life: The Psychology of Serving in Peace and Combat offers a path-breaking analysis of military performance coupled with much new data. We are indebted to the editors and contributors for insightful and original perspectives on military behavior in various contexts including combat, peacekeeping and fighting insurgents. These volumes are an invaluable resource of military leaders, social scientists and, most importantly, the concerned citizenry." -- Charles Moskos, Professor Emeritus, Northwestern University, U.S. Army Distinguished Service Award Winner, author of The Post-Modern Military: Armed Forces after the Cold War, and The Military--More Than Just a Job? "This four volume set is a milestone. It addresses a wide spectrum of psychological issues affecting military personnel with authenticity, depth, scholarship and sophistication. First person narratives keep everything appropriately grounded within the context of a deployed service member, a military psychiatrist, or a family member. As a result, readers can easily relate these personal experiences to the rich array of descriptive, scientific and policy-related chapters. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who wishes to understand this important area." -- Matthew J. Friedman MD, Ph.D., Executive Director, National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Professor of Psychiatry and Pharmacology and Toxicology, Dartmouth Medical School "This extraordinary effort provides convenient insight into basic challenges of military life. These volumes provide a comprehensive review of key issues in contemporary military psychology. They give to scholar and citizen alike an authentic picture of the enormous task of maintaining a competent, robust volunteer armed force within an increasingly complex domestic and international environment." -- Walter F. Ulmer Jr., Lieutenant General, U.S. Army (Ret.), Former President and CEO, Center for Creative Leadership "This four-volume series is a well-conceived, nicely executed, and at times moving examination of the psychological issues confronting military personnel and their families. The editors and chapter contributors have done an excellent job of providing a comprehensive evaluation of the factors that influence the performance, health, and morale of service members and their families. These volumes are a must-read for those interested in psychological issues related to military performance, operational and family-related stress, military culture, and the role of the military family in our services' and indeed society's collective mental health." -- Walter C. Borman, University of South Florida and CEO of Personnel Decisions Research Institutes Inc. "This monumental four-volume series on military life is an information treasure and a must-read for a broad audience, from military psychology practitioners and researchers to Pentagon policy makers. The rich mix of first-person operational experiences and empirical findings brings combat and its concomitant issues to life from a behavioral science perspective. Issues affecting the performance and health of military personnel and their families are addressed comprehensively in a readable and informative way--a splendid contribution to the military psychology literature." -- Marty Wiskoff, founding editor, Military Psychology "This set should be required reading for both military commanders and military psychologists alike. It is comprehensive in its coverage of military psychology yet is highly readable and easily digestible; it provides sensible, practical lessons as well as providing provocative discussions of some of the most important aspects of serving in any military force today. Perhaps most importantly, the first person accounts in each of the volumes provides a focus for the reader and an important reminder of the purpose of the book; that is, to do our best to protect the psychological health and wellbeing of those who serve. These books are to be highly recommended to all who wish to contribute to the effectiveness of modern military operations. As a military psychologist and former commanding officer of an operational unit, I wish that I had read them ten years ago." -- Colonel Anthony J. Cotton, Former Director of Mental Health, Australian Defence Force