[quote]Originally posted by Rokenn:
Quote:
Actually it is not only that the job as you say draws bad apples, but more that the job creates bad apples. Go read up on the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment. Where people were randomly assigned the role of 'guard' and 'prisoner' and knew it was all not real. Within 5 days the experiment was cut short and ended because things and spiraled down so quickly. As I recall 3 or 4 of the 'prisoners' had emotional breakdowns due to the experience. Even though all participants had been given extensive psychological tests prior to the experiment to make sure there were no bad eggs or fragile personality types.
NPR also did a show on this just yesterday which had some good discussion in it about the subject.
Here also is a good paper about the experiment and it's fallout (or lack there of)
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Very true stuff - I've seen that effect on people in Northern Ireland. The key to avoiding it is fast troop rotation, so that the troops are not there long enough to suffer the effects. Six months was the recommended maximum in a hot zone, and two years for everywhere else.
US troops have been in the hot zone far too long - and the callous disregard for innoncent lives in the tactics ordered by their commanders has only speeded up the need for rotation.