National Resilience in Multinational Societies

Resilience at the level of any system reflects its capacity to manage successfully unexpected pressures without losing its structure and stability. The most generic level of resilience – national resilience – is closely related with shared vision and values in society at the level of the nation. It refers to the ability to maintain national social fabric and cohesion when confronted by threats. During massive transitions, the established boundaries of nation-states and the definition and nature of citizenship are challenged. Risks related to diverse ethnic and religious identities may not be apparent before crises arise. In expanded societies, societal fragmentation poses a threat to national security, highlighting the importance of strategic nation-building and national resilience. Nation-building is influenced by trust and practice of communication between citizens, the state and its sub-communities. In order to mitigate security risks and enhance the capacity of multinational societies to cope with crisis, there is a vital need to develop a conceptual understanding and screening methodology for national resilience

Towards a resilient society, or why Estonia does not need ’psychological defence’

Two years ago Estonia’s strategic national security and defence documents put forward the idea of ‘psychological defence’ as a means to protect the values and cohesion of Estonian society from subversive influences. The idea drew sharp criticism from some sections of society for being inappropriate for a democratic state, even though the intentions behind it were noble. The paper suggests that ‘societal resilience’ is a more attractive and relevant concept in strategy making because it reflects the inherent complexity of states, societies and their highly dynamic threat environments without carrying negative and antagonistic connotations. It is argued that by focusing on the constituent elements of ‘societal resilience’, e.g. human and social capital, Estonia can better prepare for a wide range of security stressors than by pursuing ‘psychological defence’. In addition, ‘societal resilience’ offers a more appealing narrative for engaging the non-governmental sector and civil society in national security affairs, and even for putting them at the forefront of national security efforts (a ‘whole-of-society approach’). The paper also examines the practices for building ‘military resilience’ and their relevance to society at large

NATO Survey of Mental Health Training in Army Recruits

To-date, there has been no international review of mental health resilience training during Basic Training nor an assessment of what service members perceive as useful from their perspective. In response to this knowledge gap, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Human Factors & Medicine Research & Technology Task Group “Mental Health Training” initiated a survey and interview with seven to twenty recruits from nine nations to inform the development of such training (N = 121). All nations provided data from soldiers joining the military as volunteers, whereas two nations also provided data from conscripts. Results from the volunteer data showed relatively consistent ranking in terms of perceived demands, coping strategies, and preferences for resilience skill training across the nations. Analysis of data from conscripts identified a select number of differences compared to volunteers. Subjects also provided examples of coping with stress during Basic Training that can be used in future training; themes are presented here. Results are designed to show the kinds of demands facing new recruits and coping methods used to overcome these demands to develop relevant resilience training for NATO nations

National resilience as a security concept

Resilience reflects system capacity to manage successfully unexpected pressures without losing its inherent structure and stability. In social sciences the concept of resilience is multi-layered which, if ignored, can drastically compromise any anticipated outcome. In relation to national and international security, national resilience is a capacity which has to be carefully addressed, particularly at times of unease or major changes, in all organisations held responsible for national and international security. Although resilience and resilience studies are a growing issue in the armed forces, the concept is often applied somewhat fragmented or inconsistent ways. The relevance of holistic approach to military resilience is emphasised but still mostly referred as an individual attribute even if the existence of a social dimension is occasionally suggested. Current practices in military resilience building programs allow enhancing individual resilience via advised personnel selection and wisely designed training. There are also programs in place to boost community resilience via educated leadership and organisational support systems. What seem to be largely ignored are significant disparities in what individuals believe to be the essence of a society and nation and how do they define themselves and others. National identity and feelings toward one’s country are part of individual attitudes and values finding expression in their behaviours and initiatives. In terms of resilience, the deviated groups and individuals may prove to be very resilient with regard to their own sustainability but not that of the nation. That may pose an unexpected threat coming from within security forces in the form of service members’ behavioural reactions in morally complicated situations when their oath and belief into national values are put to test. Despite of that no systematic mechanism is available to evaluate what service members’ consider morally and emotionally significant and explore up to what extent person’s loyalty to the nation can be affirmed or even trusted when deeply held values are challenged. Increasingly multinational seedbed for military as well as police recruitment may bring along variations in what service members believe and what behaviours do they consider as morally right or justified. Individual values for what the person is willing to stand for may appear to be a security risk not from outside but from within. In that sense we could say that we have entered into the new era of wars where the real battle is taking place for people’s beliefs also amongst security forces. Developing comprehensive approach to military resilience within increasingly multinational armed forces it is vital to include the component of individual nation-related attitudes and beliefs

Should all Soldiers be Sensation Seekers? The role of Personality in the Context of Operational Deployments

Should all Soldiers be Sensation Seekers? The role of Personality in the Context of Operational DeploymentsThesis presented by Merle Parmak to obtain the degree of PhD. in Psychology and in Social and Military Sciences, 2011Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Martin Euwema and Prof. Dr. Jacques Mylle In this dissertation individual differences of soldiers psychological adaptation in a military task environment are explored. To better understand the role of personality in soldiers psychological well-being in the context of operational deployments, the dissertation takes its starting point in an interactionistic approach, the Person x Environment (P x E) theory (Lewin, 1935). The environment in operational deployments can be characterized by elevated risks and unpredictable incidents, but also by unquestionable regulations, tightly organised life and tedious tasks and duties. Being simultaneously present, these contradictive conditions chaos and order constitute a challenge for soldiers psychological adaptability. Although soldiers in general manage to adapt, there are those whose personality-based needs are less met by the reality of a particular deployment, and whose mental persistence[1] is more challenging to maintain. The author conducted a series of studies to explore the role of personality, more specifically the role of two narrow traits, Sensation Seeking and Need for Structure, in the psychological adaptability of Estonian soldiers deployed to the Helmand province, in Afghanistan, as part of NATO s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Verifying the relevance of P x E fit theory in the context of operational deployments, author s findings contribute to a field of performance research, illustrating the need of an interactional approach studying performers mental persistence in a challenging environment. We have demonstrated the importance of considering not only skills (trainable) and abilities (identifiable) of performing individuals, but also their personality-based needs that may interfere with the outcome of interest. Based on the conclusions of the dissertation, a targeted approach in military training and post-deployment programs is encouraged. As an example, a behavioural modelling technique and simulations are suggested to prepare military personnel for complex operations in contemporary environments. In addition, Third Location Decompression programs are introduced to help their transition from the operational environment back to normal life. In Chapter 1 the author explains the theoretical ground of the research and formulates the research questions. In Chapter 2, the first empirical study is presented, in which the author demonstrates that soldiers with different personality profiles perceive and evaluate the environment and tasks in different ways. Chapter 3 describes the second empirical study, in which the author reports that soldiers are normally able to adapt their personality-based needs to the environmental demands. Chapter 4 illustrates how the soldiers personality profile is related to the difficulty in adapting to the realities of deployment. In Chapter 5, the general discussion, the author describes the relevance of results in terms of theoretical and practical implications. Summary of the main findings: The two studied personality predispositions sensation seeking and need for structure influence the perceived situational structure of a task in a military environment in terms of riskiness and predictability (Ch. 2); Reflecting the operational reality in terms of increased levels of risks and restrictions, an adjustment in the expression of personality-based needs, namely in Sensation Seeking and in Need for Structure is observable (Ch. 3);Soldiers, whose personal predispositions are corresponding to the reality of deployment, namely soldiers who do like a well-ordered environment and have at least a moderate need for sensations, are the least likely to become psychologically influenced negatively by the deployment; i.e. showing the smallest decrease in well-being (Ch. 4). [1] Defined from a motivational perspective (Bandura, 1989, 1991) in terms of one s willingness or a motivational urge to intensity his efforts and persistence of exertion in this particular environment.status: publishe

Factors Influencing the Willingness to Pay in Yachting Tourism in the Context of COVID-19 Regular Prevention and Control: The Case of Dalian, China

This study attempts to construct a framework of factors affecting the yachting tourists’ willingness to pay (WTP) in the context of COVID-19 regular prevention and control in Dalian, China. Relying on the framework of the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), perceived external institutional and destination attribute factors are introduced to enhance the prediction of WTP. The results of the multivariate ordinal logistic regression model show that significant factors affecting yachting tourists’ WTP are income, education, past consumption experience, attitudes, destination attributes, and perceived behavior control. In addition, different factors affect the WTP of tourists who prefer motor boats and non-motor boats

Examining the Constraints on Yachting Tourism Development in China: A Qualitative Study of Stakeholder Perceptions

Clarifying the current constraints facing the development of yachting tourism in China is key to ensuring the healthy development of this niche industry. This study uses grounded theory as a theoretical basis to conduct qualitative research and applies semi-structured interview techniques to examine stakeholders’ views on the constraints on the development of yachting tourism in China, from the perspectives of both yachting supply and demand. MAXQDA2020 qualitative analysis software was used to determine the main constraints. The study identified seven of these constraints, including policies and regulations, government behaviors, the social development environment, marketing, infrastructure, expertise and manpower, and culture. Based on these constraints, and the recommendations for improving yachting tourism proposed by the interviewed stakeholders, the study offers seven strategies for the further development of yachting tourism, which have practical significance for this development both in China and abroad

Factors Influencing the Willingness to Pay in Yachting Tourism in the Context of COVID-19 Regular Prevention and Control: The Case of Dalian, China

This study attempts to construct a framework of factors affecting the yachting tourists’ willingness to pay (WTP) in the context of COVID-19 regular prevention and control in Dalian, China. Relying on the framework of the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), perceived external institutional and destination attribute factors are introduced to enhance the prediction of WTP. The results of the multivariate ordinal logistic regression model show that significant factors affecting yachting tourists’ WTP are income, education, past consumption experience, attitudes, destination attributes, and perceived behavior control. In addition, different factors affect the WTP of tourists who prefer motor boats and non-motor boats