Making dialogue with an existential voice in transition from military to civilian life

Identifying and mapping professional identities among Swedish ambulance nurses: A multiple qualitative case study

Research on ambulance culture and identity is globally scant and nonexistent within a Swedish context. This study on Swedish ambulance nurses serves as a first step and an important entry point into this topic. The purpose was to describe professional ambulance identities among four participants who had served between several years and decades in the ambulance services. Qualitative data was obtained through initial in-depth interviews and follow-up data gathering at a later stage. The theoretical underpinnings adhered to both narrative psychology and dialogical self theory, strengthening the capacity to develop new knowledge about professional identities. The findings present four distinct types of identities among the participants. Individuality and diversity amongst the development of core identities is shown to be cultivated by the dialogue between professional and personal identities. This dialogical process began at a stage in the ambulance career when the strict demarcation line between professional and personal identities was crossed.

Military-to-civilian transition strains and risky behavior among post-9/11 veterans

Many military veterans face significant challenges in civilian reintegration that can lead to troublesome behavior. Drawing on military transition theory (MTT) and using data from a survey of post-9/11 veterans in two metropolitan areas (n = 783), we investigate previously unexamined relationships between post-discharge strains, resentment, depression, and risky behavior, taking into account a set of control variables, including combat exposure. Results indicated that unmet needs at time of discharge and perceived loss of military identity are associated with increased risky behavior. Much of the effects of unmet discharge needs and loss of military identity are mediated by depression and resentment toward civilians. The results of the study are consistent with insights from MTT, providing evidence of specific ways in which transitions can affect behavioral outcomes. Moreover, the findings highlight the importance of helping veterans meet their post-discharge needs and adapt to changing identity, in order to reduce the risk of emotional and behavioral problems.

Advancing an understanding of the body amid transition from a military life

In this article, we explore the process of transitions from a military life to a civilian life. Making use of the concepts offered by Dialogical Self Theory, we explore how individuals negotiate the acquisition of new, civilian identities by integrating different, sometimes conflicting, cultural I-positions. Moreover, in this article, we explore how this narrative process is reflected through embodied processes of becoming civilian. We do so by presenting an in-depth analysis of two case studies: that of former Lieutenant Peter, who fully transitions to civilian life, and of Sergeant Emma, who opts for a hybrid outcome, combining a civilian job with working as an instructor in the military. We will argue that the narrative and embodied process of transition are intertwined in self-identity work, and that attention to the specifics of this entanglement can be useful for professionals who counsel military personnel who transition to civilian life.

To Understand and Support Contemporary Veterans Utilizing Biblical Combat Veteran Types

This article continues to build on the biblical combat veteran types (BCVTs) which were recently presented as a tool to describe and understand biblical combat veterans through the lenses of post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury. The purpose of this article is to connect the BCVTs with real-life cases so as to show the potential usefulness of the biblical types. This article further develops a model for pastoral care which integrates this tool.