War

“Why War ?” revisited. Aust J Psychotherapy, 6:48-73.

“Why War? is at least as relevant a question today as when Einstein asked Freud to explain it in 1932. This paper re-examines the question. It looks a Freud’s approach to the problem over his lifetime, as well as at other psychoanalytic contributions. However, we need to go beyond psychoanalysis to learn clues about war. Such clues can be found in disciplines such as ethology, group psychology, and sociology.
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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: Aust J Psychotherapy, 6:48-73 - 1987 Categories: War

Psychological attitudes and war. Social Alternatives 3:55-58

The horror of war, its destructiveness, suffering, degradation and futility may be denied, trivialised, and discounted. War can become a distasteful taboo subject. It is more productive to be aware of war and its implications, and to acquire scientific knowledge about this phenomenon. This approach provides the only hope for gaining power over our horror and fears, as a step in gaining some control over war itself.

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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: 1982 Categories: Fight, Defend & Rid, War

War: A psychoanalytic concern? Bull Aust Psychoanal Soc. 27-44 First presented at the Psychoanalytic Conference in Melbourne

Psychoanalytic conceptualisations of war are summarised. However, the psychoanalytic stance must be broadened and applied to observations of real conflicts. My own observations led me to believe that people respond from survival needs even if objectively they appear to be irrational. Knowledge of perceived survival needs and survival strategies that deal with them may be steps in elucidating the apparent madness of wars.
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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: March 1989 Categories: Trauma, Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, War

ANZAC messages. (Unpublished) 2013

This piece contrasts patriotic and realistic views of the ANZAC story.

War-roots in animals and early societies: Encyclopaedia of Trauma 2012

This piece explores how our tribal and animal heritage still reverberates in our expressions of violence and war to our present day.
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Publication Author: Charles R. Figley - Sage Publication Date: 2012 Categories: War

Tribal Hostility

Tribal mentality, adaptive in our early evolutionary environment, lies latent in the circuitry of our subconscious baggage. It can be perversely tapped, fanned, and exploited by people ambitious for power. It thrives on myths of common ancestry, god-given missions, sacrifice and rewards in another life. It blurs part and whole, life and death, symbolic and real. It is visceral, emotional, and relies on right brain thinking. Hostility is total and universal.

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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: 2001 Categories: Right brain, War

The tragedy of tribalism in the modern world

Tribal type warfare as has been manifest in Ireland, the Balkans, Rwanda and the Middle East, stems from primitive fears belonging to our jungle pasts where outsiders were like predators ready to pounce. Tribal mentality shows xenophobic us-them, zero-sum, strongly ethnocentric thinking. Being chosen by God and fighting alongside one’s ancestors, the malevolent enemy has to be eliminated. Such thinking has no place in a global, multicultural society.
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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: 2000 Categories: War

Wars in civilised societies: Encyclopaedia of Trauma 2012

This piece explores motivations for war in civilised societies. It looks at historical perspectives of war and historical approaches to understand its causation. Three agonistic survival strategies are presented as a way to understand three different types of motivations and their expressions in different types of war.
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Publication Author: Charles R. Figley - Sage Publication Date: 2012 Categories: War

History and causes of wars

The history of wars from animals to humans and from primitive societies to the present day are summarised. Theories of wars are looked at. Three agonistic survival strategies – fight, goal achievement, and competition are put forward as vehicles for lethal aggression. What provokes these drives is examined. Provocations may range from severe environments to quite distant symbols of them. Aggression may range from individuals to nations.

See also my entries on War in The Encyclopedia of Trauma.
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Publication Author: Paul Valent Publication Date: 2012 Categories: War

Wars for Symbols: Encyclopedia of Trauma

This paper examines radiations of aggressive biological drives into symbols. The symbols may be very far removed from objective dangers which made our forebears fight each other, but they hold the same valence as they did in the jungle. Wars for symbols may be highly irrational.
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Publication Author: Charles Figley. Sage. Publication Date: 2012 Categories: War