engleski

Position, role and developmental prospects of psychology in modern armies – Croatian experiences

Military psychology in Croatia developed in specific circumstances, during the war for national independence. Psychologists who joined Croatian Army had no military experience but were driven by high patriotism and prepared to pursue their tasks despite the hard circumstances. Among them there were a number of women too. From the very beginning Croatian Army psychologists did not only function in headquarters, training centers or rear bases, but also in Army units deployed in combat. In this way psychologists were able to see what their primary duties were, and to learn the range and limits of psychological service in war. The involvement in an early stage of the forming of the Army earned Army psychologists a respectable status and helped with the establishment of psychological service which enjoyed considerable professional autonomy and professional hierarchy. Basic features of Croatian military psychology were and still are: high patriotism and commitment to the Army, direct professional involvement on front lines and professional autonomy. Shortly after the assignment into Army units, psychologists' observations and suggestions laid ground for 3 main domains of involvement in the Croatian Army: psychological combat readiness survey, psychological selection and classification and psychological prevention and support. This paper reviews the main experiences in each of the domains.

military psychology; Croatian Army; psychological combat readiness; psychological selection; psychological prevention and support

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