Imagine a person in the Army Reserves. They enlisted during a time…
Question Answered step-by-step Imagine a person in the Army Reserves. They enlisted during a time… Imagine a person in the Army Reserves. They enlisted during a time when jobs were scarce, they had no money for an education, and their country had not been involved in armed conflict for a number of years. They figure it’s their best chance of getting some kind of job skills, and perhaps a college education when their period of enlistment has ended. Considering these very real benefits, they block from their mind the possibility that a war could break out and they would be called upon to serve in it. The thought scares them and, besides, they grew up hearing about the Vietnam War and feel that it was an immoral war. Then, just six months before their period of enlistment is to end, a war breaks out in Florin; they are called up on active duty and will be deployed to Florin soon. They now find their active role in this conflict to be more difficult to justify. (Note: Florin is fictional, but pretend it’s real for the purpose of this assignment) 1. Consider the public’s reaction to hearing that, contrary to early reports of war casualties, a great number of innocent Florian civilians had been killed by bombs. How would this information tend to influence public support for the war and the conclusion that military action was morally correct and necessary? How might this impact differ for people who were consistently opposed to the war from the start than for those who, after some doubt and soul-searching, had decided they supported the war?2. From the perspective of cognitive dissonance theory, how would this person who is actively contributing to a war feel about people who oppose the war? In particular, how would military personnel participating in active combat feel about people who took the position, “I support our troops, but I oppose the war”? How would military personnel perceive this comment and what does it suggest about their own involvement in the war? Psychology Social Science Social Psychology PSYC 345 Share QuestionEmailCopy link Comments (0)
