Treating Israeli Soldiers in a civilian psychiatric setting

The structure, functioning, and treatment concept of a psychodynamically oriented psychiatric unit for young soldiers within Israeli civilian hospital are discussed stressing: (1) the integration of the patient's military self; (2) the resolution of psychological conflicts necessary to avoid traumatic developmental arrest of the patient's personality and to foster personality growth; (3) the involvement of the patient's family in the therapeutic process. Problems in the patient-therapist relationship specifically pertaining to Israeli conditions are outlined.

[Attitudes concerning military duty and personality structures. Clinical, psychometric and projective study of Jehovah wittnesses and conscientious objectors (author's transl)]

Refusal of military duty appearing to be a deviant social attitude, the authors have investigated the relationship between this behaviour and personality. They hypothesize that the rigid attitude of the Jehovah Wittness, refusing military duty and civil service, would be linked to paranoïd structure, and conscientious objectors to border-line states. A triple approach (clinical, Rorschach and aggressivity inventory of Buss and Durkee) was used; representative groups of these two populations were compared to control military recruits. Rorschach protocoles did not differentiate the Jehovah and control group, both being characterized by poor items and retraction. The authors interpret there data by possible absence of motivation in controls, or a rigid psychological organisation, which could be related habits in life and spirit of our societies. For the objectors, these are richer and more open. Five out of twelve appear to have a border-line organisation.