Transitioning From Military to Civilian Life Presentation

Introduction

• The former military’s social adaptation is an acute problem.
• The American army includes both residents and foreign volunteers.
• First-generation Latinos are the target audience for analysis.
• The issue of acculturation after military service is a research topic.
• An unfamiliar social environment causes challenges in interpersonal communication.
• A quantitative study involving relevant theories is planned.

Since social adaptation after military service is a relevant social topic, this area is studied extensively in social disciplines. However, in order to narrow down the scope of analysis, such a population category will be assessed as the first-generation Latinos, and the difficulties they encounter after serving in the US Army are the primary topic. Acculturation as a key phenomenon affected during the research process is a fundamental theory. As a methodology, a quantitative study will be carried out based on the phenomenological principle of evaluation, involving interviews as the main data collection tool. The rule of methodological coherence will be respected so that the study could be valid and reliable.

Summary of the Literature

• Engaging immigrant volunteers to the U.S. Army is a common practice (Leal & Teigen, 2018).
• Of the 1,282,000 troops, first-generation Latinos make up a significant percentage (“Total available active military manpower,” 2019).
• “Information deficit” and hostility are the key issues (Terziev, 2018, p. 620).
• An unfamiliar social environment makes adaptation difficult after service.
• Indifference is one of the factors stimulating the problem (Blackburn, 2016).
• The lack of support complicates interpersonal interaction.
• The phenomenon of acculturation involves gradual changes (Kelly, 2016).
• Individual and shared values are transformed during adaptation.
• Psychological fatigue and stress may be caused by the lack of communication with loved ones (Pease, Billera, & Gerard, 2015).
• Family support can have a positive effect.
• The fear of an unusual environment is a natural phenomenon (Hachey, Sudom, Sweet, MacLean, & VanTil, 2016).
• Frequent nervous breakdowns are a common mental problem of the former Latino military (Wong, 2017).

Based on the literature review on the problem presented, first-generation Latinos experience such difficulties as misunderstanding, hostility, and indifference to their needs. The lack of support does not allow the target audience to adapt to new living conditions. An unfamiliar social environment affects negatively, and despite the large percentage of first-generation Latinos in the US Army, their problems are not often discussed, which is an omission.

The lived experience of first-generation Latinos is the goal of the study, and as applied to the concept of acculturation, social adaptation can go through several phases that influence changes in the perception of a new environment. At the same time, the whole process is iterative, which means the cyclical nature of the phenomenon under consideration and the inability of the target audience to influence the changes on their own. The lack of support from loved ones and the fear of an unfamiliar social environment cause nervous breakdowns in the target audience and adversely affect their mental health.

Research Gap

• The prerequisites for social adaptation are not presented in academic literature.
• Traditional cultural values are not referred to as evaluation criteria.
• The social norms of the interaction of first-generation Latinos are not described comprehensively.
• Health problems are the only area of analysis.
• The difficulties of adaptation are considered in a general context.
• The lack of information on the total number of the target population in the US Army.

Given the importance of the topic presented, some gaps complicate the research process and hinder the search for answers to pressing questions. In particular, the issues of individual and traditional values ​​of the first-generation Latinos are not addressed, which does not allow discussing the characteristic principles of their interpersonal communication. Health problems are the only area mentioned in academic literature, but beyond this field, other issues are not mentioned, and discussion of social challenges is problematic. Finally, the limited statistical data on the total number of first-generation Latinos in the US Army also make it impossible to evaluate the problem from a numerical perspective.

Research Question

• The research question follows logically from the rationale presented.
• The problems of the social adaptation of first-generation Latinos are the key area.
• Acculturation on the basis of the lived experience of the target population is addressed.
• The transition to civilian life is a control phase.
• No other variables are affected during the study.
• The research question is based on the phenomenological model.

When taking into account the presented justifications, the research question is based on the phenomenological model and is aimed at identifying the existing gaps. It reads as follows: what challenges of social adaptation do the first-generation Latino community serving in the USA Military experience during transition into civilian life? The variables involved are intended to answer the question posed, and the use of the necessary theories and concepts contributes to assessing the given topic comprehensively.

Methodology and Data Collection Strategy

• The phenomenological method as a basic model of analysis.
• The theory of acculturation aimed at determining the factors of social adaptation (Kelly, 2016).
• The military transition theory as an auxiliary research method (Blackburn, 2016).
• Interviews form the basic data collection strategy.
• The control group is not provided due to the peculiarities of the phenomenological framework.
• The findings of the literature review as a background for justifications.

The research process is based on the phenomenological model that implies evaluating the lived experience of a selected social group. As related theories, the concept of acculturation and the military transition theory may be utilized. To collect data, interviews will be conducted with individual firm-generation Latino former military. As a theoretical background, the findings of the literature review will be applied to justify specific assumptions and hypotheses.

References

Blackburn, D. (2016). Transitioning from military to civilian life: Examining the final step in a military career. Canadian Military Journal, 16(4), 53-61.

Hachey, K. K., Sudom, K., Sweet, J., MacLean, M. B., & VanTil, L. D. (2016). Transitioning from military to civilian life: The role of mastery and social support. Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health, 2(1), 9-18.

Kelly, D. R. (2016). Applying acculturation theory and power elite theory on a social problem: Political underrepresentation of the Hispanic population in Texas. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 38(2), 155-165.

Leal, D. L., & Teigen, J. M. (2018). Military service and political participation in the United States: Institutional experience and the vote. Electoral Studies, 53, 99-110.

Terziev, V. (2018). Building a model of social and psychological adaptation. IJASOS – International E-Journal of Advances in Social Sciences, 4(12), 619-627.

Total available active military manpower by country. (2019). Web.

Pease, J. L., Billera, M., & Gerard, G. (2015). Military culture and the transition to civilian life: Suicide risk and other considerations. Social Work, 61(1), 83-86.

Wong, M. J. (2017). Culture-bound syndromes: Racial/ethnic differences in the experience and expression of ataques de nervios. Web.