Psychological Effects of War (Essay Sample)

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Psychological effects of war
The perception of the psychological effect of war covers an extensive variety of processes and undesirable impacts, all of which must be given consideration in any assessment of the direct and indirect effects of war. Most of literature work on Psychological effects of war focuses on post-traumatic stress disorder, main depression, and traumatic brain injury, not only for the reason of current elevated policy attention but also because, distinct from the physical wounds of war, these psychological conditions are mostly invisible to the eye, and may remain to be invisible to most service members, members of the family, and the overall society (Sonnenberg et al. 198). The psychological conditions commonly affect mood, thoughts, and change in behavior; yet, these effects often go unrecognized and unacknowledged (Shiromani et al. 47).
This discussion will address the wide-spectrum psychological effects of war, to include: physiological arousal and fear and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) based on the book "the red convertible" by Louise Erdrich.
A quotation from "The Red Convertible" that highlights the psychological effect of war and how it changes an individual is on page 309: "When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I'll say this: the change was no good. You could hardly expect him to change for the better, I know" The quote is significant in the story because it signifies a turning point in the story. The quote shows the change between who Henry was and who he became after the war.
In the beginning of the story before Henry went to war, Henry and his brother Lyman are very close, particularly after they bought the convertible. Because of their shared new car, they were enjoying all kinds of adventures together and traveled and interact with all different types of individuals. When Henry returns home from the war in Vietnam, It is evident that he is suffering from the condition of psychological effects of a very ghastly war.
The Brotherhood connection between Lyman and Henry is contracted once Henry returns from Vietnam War because he is completely a different person from whom he was prior to war. Before the going to the war, they were free spirited inspiring themselves by interacting with the land and peoples. They "went places in that car... [They] took off driving all one whole summer" (Erdrich 307). They had enjoyable freedom and that they exploited it by road trips and exploring their homeland together. They "made most of that trip, without putting up the car hood at all" (Erdrich 308). The perception of the car hood down signifies freedom, enjoyment, and satisfying life, which describes the healthy state of the brother's relationship before they were split up. They appreciated their life in the company of each other while utilizing their native freedom. The car symbolizes their relationship because they bought it together and shared it happily. The car at the begging of the story is fresh and runs smoothly, enabling them to enjoy comfortably their summer's journey. Once Henry makes the returns from war, he is no longer who he was and refuses to recognize the car he once esteemed. The reader can realize how severely the war had affected Henry, seeing the fact that he has lost the sense of safety in his own home. It is here where the atmosphere first changes from pleasurable to miserable due to the psychological effect of war on Henry.
By observing Henry’s changes throughout the progress of the story, it can be recognized that he does certainly suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is the words used past 1980 to describe the psychological effect of war on soldiers and was thereafter used outside the military to term the influence of a traumatic occurrence on an individual. It is established that the psychological costs of war are prevalent for soldiers exposed to violent battle events such as recurrent enemy firefight. Soldiers who murders someone (or trust they have murdered someone), are wounded in war, or see the death or wounding of a noncombatant or alliance member are at considerably increased danger of suicidal ideation, depressing symptomatology , and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders(McLay et al. 36).
The most common psychological disorder that usually results from exposure to terrifying war is called the post-traumatic stress disorder or more regularly referred to as PTSD. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, states that there are several classes of signs of PTSD. The indications include the experience of real harm or fears to be physically harmed or emotionally, interfering indications that include recollections, distressing dreams and memories, adverse changes in perception, the avoidance of stimuli connected with the occurrence and changes in arousal levels. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms can be categorized into three distinctive groups: continuing avoidance, augmented arousal, and re-experiencing the trauma (Sonnenberg et al. 98).
Many of the movies war movies depicted how the psychological effects of war persisted with the soldiers adversely beyond their stay in Vietnam War. The war veterans struggle with the excruciating memories and traumatic experiences. They would experience flashbacks that constantly reminded them of the War's trauma, confusion, and thwarting, consequently affecting their normal lives and relationship with their families undesirably after the War had ended (Beach, 87).
To fully understand the intensity of the psychological effects of war, we must keep these other effects in mind while understanding the body's physiological response to war, as revealed by the sensitive nervous system's mobilization of resources. The psychological "price" that the soldier’s body severely pays is a correspondingly prevailing "backlash" when the abandoned stresses of the parasympathetic nervous system become dominant. This parasympathetic backlash happens momentarily when the danger and the exhilaration are over, and it takes the shape of an extremely controlling fatigue and drowsiness on the part of the soldier (Shiromani et al. 78).
The persisting avoidance symptoms of PTSD, includes "a reduced awareness in activities that used to give happiness and pleasure as well as the detachment from other individuals." (McLay et al 67), Henry’s engagements after returning from the war correspond with this description. He is very reserved, and when Lyman bought the Television set, he spends his most time "He sat in front of it, watching it, and that was the only time he was completely still." (Erdrich 309) Henry evades engaging in the activities he usually enjoyed, including driving the red convertible car with his brother. Consequently, his avoidance spreads to his brother Lyman. Before Henry went to war, he and his brother had been in a very close relationship, as is proved by their trip in their car. However, when Henry returned, he and Lyman spent less time together as they used to. "We had always been together before. Henry and Lyman. But he was such a loner now that I didn’t know how to take it.So I jumped at the chance one day when Henry seemed friendly." (Erdrich 311) Henry’s avoidance of Lyman, joined with his lack of interest from the activities he once appreciated to do, are corresponding with the "persisting avoidance" group of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptoms.
He was quiet, so quiet, and never comfortable sitting still anywhere" (Erdrich 309) Henry free Native spirit, which was characterized by his enthusiasm to travel easily with his brother around the country, is reduced because he agonizes from reliving the psychological pain and fear he underwent while at the war, which makes him restless and vulnerable to personality disorders and behavior changes, such as persistent silence, and endless motion which most probably replicates his behavior from the horrific war, having to be continuously maintaining quietness while staking out the opponent troops and sensitive awareness of small movements (Iskra et al. 57).
Henry in the scenario displays symptoms from the "increased arousal" category of PTSD. This group of symptoms is usually produced by an extreme increase state of arousal of the affected individual" and comprises of the state "irritability, eruptions of anger, sharp increase vigilance (Kimmel et al. 123).
Most observers of shocking war categorize the effect of this physiological arousal process under the overall title of "fear," .However; fear is certainly a cognitive or emotional description for broad-based physiological arousal in reaction to a specific threat. The effect of fear and its associated physiological arousal is substantial, but it should be comprehended that fear is just a sign and not the disease; it is a general effect but not the cause. To truly comprehend the psychological effects of war, it is important to understand precisely what it is that causes this extreme fear response in persons. It has become progressively clear that there are essentially two main, primary stressors instigating the psychological toll connected with war. These stressors are the trauma linked with being the victim of close-range, interactive aggression and the trauma connected with the obligation to kill a human being at very close range (Grossman et al. 90). In the story, Henry displays these symptoms when he immediately returns, and they are most portrayed in the following quote from the story:
"When he came home, though, Henry was very different, and I’ll say this: the change was no good. You could hardly expect him to change for the better, I know. But he was quiet, so quiet, and never comfortable sitting still anywhere but always up and moving around. I thought back to times we’d sat still for whol...