Sense of belonging: a mixed-methods analysis of uk veterans' experiences of reintegration to civilian life

根据政府统计数据，2016年大约有250万退伍军人居住在英国(国防部，2017年)。今天，有大量退伍军人正试图过渡到平民生活。然而，军民世界的二分法是如此广泛，过渡过程并不简单。如果不与退伍军人交谈，就不可能知道如何让退伍军人更容易地重新融入社会，因此这将是该项目的目标。然而，从极端的同志情谊向拥护个人主义的新自由主义社会转型可能是极其困难的(Sayer等人，2014)。一旦退伍军人在平民工作场所开始他们的职业生涯，这些问题就会显现出来，因为在新自由主义政策指导下的机构中倡导的职业道德与军队的职业道德是如此不同。对于那些在重返社会后默默忍受痛苦的人，通常是由于军队中的男子气概文化(Connell，1995)，人们认为自杀、犯罪、酗酒和无家可归的比率更高(Dandeker等人，2003)。在英国，平民对军事世界的接触通常限于阵亡将士纪念日，尽管目前存在关于这一天政治化的辩论(Ariely，2017；Harison，2012)。因此，平民缺乏对军事文化的了解(Smith和True，2014)，这固有地使重新融入平民生活变得困难(Feaver等人，2001)。此外，退伍军人在他们的社区和家庭中可能感到疏远(Pasupari等人，2007年)，而且往往恢复到只与他们的军队朋友呆在一起，或者在类似于军队的环境中工作，如警察部队(Tick，2005)。最近关于退伍军人心理健康的研究激增，特别是那些患有创伤后应激障碍的人(Freytes等人，2017年；Phillips等人，2016年)。尽管继续进行这项研究非常有用，但也必须考虑所有退伍军人的经历。对于那些被诊断患有精神健康问题的人来说，他们的根源通常被归因于战斗的压力和创伤(MacGregor等人，2012年)。然而，应当考虑这些条件的更广泛的社会学背景，以及它们与过渡进程的相关性。这项研究将通过考虑重返社会期的社会学方面以及其中的文化方面来探讨重返社会期的影响。

According to government statistics, there were approximately 2.5 million military veterans residing in the UK in 2016 (Ministry of Defence, 2017). There are a vast number of military veterans, today, who are attempting to transition into civilian life. However, the dichotomy of the military and civilian world is so extensive, that the transition process is not a simple one. Knowing how to make this reintegration easier for veterans would be unattainable without speaking with them, and thus will be the aim of this project.It has been well documented that unit cohesion within the military is imperative for combat effectiveness (Sherman, 2005). However, transitioning from an extreme ethos of comradeship, to a neoliberal society which champions individualism, can be immensely difficult (Sayer et al, 2014). These issues can manifest once a veteran has begun their career in a civilian workplace, as the work ethic promoted in institutions guided by neoliberal policy is so dissimilar to that of the military. For those who suffer in silence following their reintegration, usually a result of the masculinity culture in the military (Connell, 1995), it is thought that there are higher rates of suicide, criminality, alcoholism, and homelessness (Dandeker et al, 2003). In the UK, civilians' exposure to the military world usually confines to Remembrance Day, although there is currently a debate regarding the politicisation of the day (Ariely, 2017; Harrison, 2012). Resultantly, civilians lack an understanding of military culture (Smith and True, 2014), and this inherently makes the reintegration to civilian life difficult (Feaver et al, 2001). Furthermore, veterans can feel alienated within their community and their home (Pasupathi et al, 2007), and often revert to only spending time with their friends from the military, or working in an environment that is similar to the military, such as the police force (Tick, 2005). There has recently been a surge in research regarding veterans' mental health, specifically of those suffering with post-traumatic stress disorder (Freytes et al, 2017; Phillips et al, 2016). Although it is immensely useful to continue doing this research, it is also imperative to consider the experiences of all veterans. For those who are diagnosed with a mental health condition, their roots are typically attributed to the stresses and trauma of combat (MacGregor et al, 2012). However, it would be pertinent to consider the wider sociological context of these conditions, and their relevance to the transition process. This research will explore the impact of the reintegration period by considering the sociological facets, and within that, cultural aspects of the process.