Read On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society Online
Authors: Dave Grossman
Tags: #Military, #war, #killing
imprisonment rates, American, 299-301
social stigma of enjoying, 236
ineffective firing, 9-15
stages of emotional response to, 111-12
intent, in war, 105-06
killing, resistance to, 1 -4,29-30,36,37-39,
intentional miss, 9-15
59-60, 87, 334
Israeli military forces, 43, 52, 175, 273
American violence and, 304
Itzin, Catherine, 325
bayoneting, 122, 123
360
INDEX
killing, resistance to
(continued)
killing of, 174
in Civil War, 22, 24, 25, 27
motivation of troops by, 90, 143-46,
at close range, 118-19, 131, 132-33
168, 334
in executions, 209
Lee, Robert E., 26
factors affecting, 186—92
legal affirmation, 165—67
increase at 50% casualty point, 149
Leinbaugh, Harold, 333
society's need to overcome, 226-27
Leonhard, Robert, 80
training to overcome, 250-61
Levin, Jack, 346
in treatment of surrendering soldiers, 200
life instinct (Eros), 37, 332
killing response stages, 111-12, 231-45,
Lind, William, 80, 333
343-44
long-range killing, 108-10
actual kill, 231, 233, 343
Lord, F. A., 21
concern, 231, 232—33
Lorenz, Konrad, 6, 151
exhilaration. Sec exhilaration, of killing
Lost Battalion of World War I, 148
murder-suicides, 241-43
of nonkillers, 244
Mac Arthur, Douglas, 69
rationalization/acceptance.
See
machine-gun crews, 18, 108, 153
rationalization and acceptance, of
machine guns, 11, 104, 154
killing
Majdalany, Fred, 126
remorse, 231, 235, 236-37, 241, 243
Manchester, William, 75, 87-88, 115-16,
kill rates, 10-12, 333-34
179, 337
Rhodesia, 178-79
maneuver warfare, 80
Vietnam War, 254, 334, 336
Marchand, W. E., 43-44, 61,180,181,184,
World War II, 30,110,161-62,184-85
189, 235
Kinnard, General, 333
Marcus Aurelius, 38
knife range, 129-30
Marin, Peter, 35-36, 91, 96
Knight-Adkin, James H„ 94, 335
Marine Corps, U.S., 82, 147, 253
Koch, Traute, 101
Marks, T. P., 200
Korean War, 280
Marsh, Peter, 6
exhaustion in, 69
Marshall, John Douglas, 333—34
firing rate, 35, 181, 251, 344
MarshaU, S. L. A., 1, 3, 15-16, 20, 29-30,
posturing in, 8
33, 35, 118, 139, 144, 150, 181,
rear, attack from, 81
184-85, 189, 251, 333-34, 344
Kubler-Ross, Elizabeth, 231
Master, John, 18
Mater, Milton, 27-28, 34-35, 333
law-enforcement agencies, 320, 339
Mauldin, Bill, 69, 147
shoot-no shoot program, 257, 260, 315
Mau Mau Uprising, 162
training of, 256
maximum-range killing, 107-08
Lawrence, T. E., 195-96
Mclntyre, Benjamin, 11
leaders, 334
McKenna, Bob, 121
in atrocities, 224
means of killing, 171-73, 189
bonding to, 144, 210-11
mechanical distance, 108, 109, 158, 160,
denial by, 148, 168
169-70, 189, 340
fears of, 64-65
medals.
See
honors, value of
fortitude replenished by, 85
media.
See also
movies, violence in;
guilt of, 90-91, 147-48
television, violence in; video games,
honors for, 91
violence in
INDEX
361
sex-aggression linkage, 135
Murry, Simon, 72, 94
violence in, 34, 88, 324-30
muskets, 9, 10, 11, 18-19, 20, 21-25
medical personnel, 62—64, 335
My Lai incident, 104, 136, 145, 163, 187,
medical technology, 301, 304
190-91, 314
Medved, Michael, 326, 328
memorials.
See
monuments, role of
Nagasaki, bombing of, 108
memory, effect of, 75, 95-96
name-calling, 161, 252
mentally ill.
See
psychiatric casualties Napoleon, 17, 67, 70, 154
mercenaries, 145, 180, 224
Napoleonic Wars, 8, 9, 10, 122, 184, 333
Metelmann, Henry, 158-59
Narut, Dr., 306-07
midbrain, 8, 9
natural soldiers, 61, 180—85
midrange killing, 110-12, 118
naval personnel
Milgram, Stanley, 141-43, 144, 187-89,
fear of, 58-59
190
killing by, 107-08
Military Academy, U.S., 82
psychiatric casualties, 58-59
military history, role of, 33-34
resistance to killing by, 59
miss, intentional, 9-15
Navy, U.S., 68, 160
missile crews, 108
Nazi concentration camps, 102—05, 106,
mock firing, 21—25
215
Moluccan train siege, 159
denial of, 211-12
Montgomery, Field Marshal, 85-86
hate in, 78-79
monuments, role of, 264, 274-75.
See also
Nazis, 161-62
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
atrocities, 195, 206, 208-09
moral distance, 99, 158, 160, 164-67, 189,
war against Russia, 214
209, 339-40
New Guinea tribes, 12
moral framework
Newson, Elizabeth, 328
of conditioning, 292-93
nightmares, 47
for killing, 180, 196-202, 226-27,
night-vision devices, 169, 172
337-39
noble enemy, killing of, 195-96
prisoners, treatment of, 203—04
Nock, Arthur, 12
moral pain.
See
guilt
noise
Moran, Lord, 58, 63, 72, 83, 84, 85, 86,
as posturing, 8—9
125, 205, 234, 276
trauma caused by, 112—13, 116
Morris, Jim, 201
noncombatants, killing of, 174-76, 194
Moskos, Charles C, Jr., 344, 345
nonfirers, 15-16, 29
motive, for killing, 171, 173-76, 189
in Falklands War, 178, 258
movies, violence in, 34, 95, 261, 302,
in U.S. Civil War, 17-27
323-30
in Vietnam War, 250
classical conditioning, 308-11
in World War I, 27-28
role models, 319-22
in World War II, 3-4
murder, 174, 195, 337, 342
nonkillers, 62-64, 233
in America, 299-301, 304
at close range, 118-19
mass, 208-10
group influence and, 155
medical technology and, 301, 304
guilt of, 89-91
of prisoners and civilians, 199-205
at midrange, 118
murder-suicides, 241—43
post-traumatic stress disorder and,
Murphy, Audie, 155
284-85
362
I N D E X
nonkillers
(continued)
physical revulsion, 115, 236, 241, 295
response to killing by, 244
physiological exhaustion, 69—71
who are prepared to kill, 259-60
piercing, of enemy's body, 120-21
Norris, W., 46
pikes, use of, 120, 154
pilots
obedience-demanding authority, 141—48,
combat addiction of, 234, 235
182, 187, 209, 295, 334, 341, 342
killing by, 30, 59-60, 79, 107, 110,
in atrocities, 221, 224—26
181-82, 184
training to accept, 260-61, 319
police.
See
law-enforcement agencies
video games and, 303, 314
political will, for war, 340
O'Brien, Tim, 190
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), 77,
obsessions, 47-48, 233, 234-36
281-89
officers.
See
leaders
intensity
of
trauma and, 283, 285
older comrades, role of, 263, 265
killing and, 282-84
Ooley, Robert, 91
manifestations of, 282
operant conditioning, 177, 252-53, 255,
medical personnel, 335
302, 313-16, 317, 340
of nonkillers, 284-85
opportunity to kill, 171-73, 189
social support and, 283, 285, 287, 289,
oppressed peoples, disloyalty of, 205
334-35, 345
treatment of, 293
Palmer, Dave, 248
of Vietnam veterans, 47, 48, 248, 279,
Panama invasion, 13, 240, 257-58, 273
282, 287-89, 291, 344
parades, role of, 264,274, 276,280,286,293
of World War II veterans, 285-87
paranoid trends, 48
posturing, 5-9, 11, 12, 13, 21, 71,
parasympathetic nervous system, 70
126-27, 181
paratroopers, 68, 206
poverty, effect of, 303
Pastora, Eden, 14
Pratchett, Terry, 340-41
patrols behind enemy lines, 60-62
prisoners of war
Pavlov, I. P., 252-53, 255
bombing of, 57-58, 79
Pavlovian conditioning.
See
classical executions of, 216
conditioning
fears of, 57-58
peer pressure, 27, 30, 89-90, 150, 224-26
murder of, 199-205, 209
Perrin, Noel, 330
uses of, 204-05
Perry, Ted, 291
proximity of medical treatment, 49, 269
personal kills.
See
close-range killing Prussian military, 10-11, 19
phalanx, 146, 153-54
psychiatric casualties, 43-50,94-96.
See also
physical danger, pursuit of, 76
post-traumatic stress disorder
physical distance, effect of, 97-137, 187,
(PTSD); trauma, psychological
188, 340
civilian victims of war, 55-57
close-range killing, 110, 114-37
drugs to treat, 270-71
edged-weapons range, 120-30
fear as cause of, 51—66
hand-grenade range, 112-13
guilt and, 91
hand-to-hand-combat range, 131—33
loss of fortitude and, 83
long-range killing, 108-10
manifestations of, 45-48
maximum-range killing, 107-08
medical personnel, 62-64, 335
midrange killing, 110-12
naval combat, 58-59
sexual range, 134—37
officers, 64-65
INDEX
363
patrols behind enemy lines, 60—62
role models, 303, 317-23
prisoners of war, 57—58
Roman military forces, 121, 145—46, 154,
treatment of, 48-50, 293
336
Vietnam War, 269, 277-78
Rorkes Drift batUe, 11
World War II, 269
Rosenthal, A. M., 327
psychological distance, 128, 160, 169, 324.
Roupell, George, 12, 333
See also
emotional distance, effect of Rwanda, 121
psychopaths, aggressive, 50, 61, 124,
Ryan, Cornelius, 211
180-85, 189, 235
as Nazi death camp officers, 78-79
post-war behavior of, 181
safe areas, 263, 267-68, 287-88
psychotic personality, 48
sailors.
See
naval personnel
PTSD.
See
post-traumatic stress disorder Santoli, Al, 267
(PTSD)
scapegoats, 210-11
punishment justification, 165, 167, 339
schizoid trends, 48
screams.
See
noise
Seaton, Albert, 211
quick kill, 253, 257
secret police, 210
self-deception, 33
racism, effect of, 303.
See also
cultural self-defense, 173, 174, 195
distance
self-inflicted wounds, 78
raids behind enemy lines, 60—61
self-preservation, 27, 225, 226
Rand Corporation air-raid study, 56, 65
Seligman, Martin, 81
rape, 77, 137, 210-11, 220-21, 285
senses, effect of combat on, 74—75
rationalization and acceptance
Sepoy Mutiny, 121, 162
of killing, 231, 233, 237-40, 243,
sexuality, 31—32
262-80, 343
aggression and, 134-37
of not killing, 233
piercing of enemy's body, sexual
rear, attack from, 81.
See also
safe areas connotations of, 121
recent loss, effect of, 179, 189, 330, 342
sexual range, killing at, 134—37
reconnaissance patrols, 60
Shalit, Ben, 31, 52-53, 136, 144, 151, 156,
refugees, 81
161, 171, 173, 187, 189, 273, 317
religiosity, extreme, 48
Sherman, William Tecumseh, 74
Remarque, Erich Maria, 125
shoot-no shoot program, 257, 260, 315
remorse.
See
guilt
Sidney, Philip, 85
resensitization, 325-32
Skinner, B. F., 177, 252, 253, 255, 313,
reserve forces, 71
316, 340
responsibility, diffusion of, 225, 295, 303.
sleep, lack of, 71-72
See also
group absolution
Slim, Field Marshal, 112, 235
rest and recuperation, 49
smell, sense of, 74
revenge, 179, 320
smoothbore muskets, 10, 19
Revolutionary War, U.S., 166
snipers, 108-09, 336, 340
Rhodesia, 178-79, 258, 340
combat fixation of, 235
Richardson, Frank, 116
training of, 254-55
rifled muskets, 18-19
in Vietnam War, 172-73
rifles, 9
social distance, 158, 160, 167-69, 188, 209
Rogel, William, 232
social learning, 303, 306, 317-22
364
I N D E X
social support structure, 264, 274-80, 293,
sympathetic nervous system, 70
294, 334-35, 340-41.
See also
condemnation, of Vietnam veterans
tank fire, 108
for leaden, 91
target attractiveness, model of, 171,295,341
post-traumatic stress disorder and, 283,
taste, sense of, 74
285, 287, 289, 345
Taylor, James, 200
for World War II veterans, 286-87