Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War

by Michael D. Matthews

Psychology is the science that will determine who wins and who loses the wars of the 21st century, just as physics ultimately led the United States to victory in World War II. Changes in the world's political landscape coupled with radical advances in the technology of war will greatly alter how militaries are formed, trained, and led. Leadership under fire - and the traits and skills it requires - is also changing. Grant, Lee, Pershing, Patton - these generals would not succeed in 21st century conflicts.
In Head Strong: Psychology and Military Dominance in the 21st Century, Michael D. Matthews explores the many ways that psychology will make the difference for wars yet to come, from revolutionary advances in soldier selection and training to new ways of preparing soldiers to remain resilient in the face of horror and to engineering the super-soldier of the future. These advancements will ripple out to impact on the lives of all of us, not just soldiers. Amputees will have "intelligent" life-like prosthetics that simulate the feel and function of a real limb. Those exposed to trauma will have new and more effective remedies to prevent or treat post-traumatic stress disorder. And a revolution in training - based heavily in the military's increasing reliance on immersive simulations - will radically alter how police, fire, and first-responder personnel are trained in the future.
At its heart, war is the most human of endeavors. Psychology, as the science of human behavior, will prove essential to success in future war. Authored by a West Point military psychologist, this book is one of the first to expose us to the smarter wars, and the world around them, to come.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Personal Development, War

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Dr. Michael D. Matthews, is currently Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. He served as President of the American Psychological Association’s Society for Military Psychology from 2007 to 2008 and is a Templeton Foundation Senior Positive Psychology Fellow. From 2014 to 2015, he served as a Fellow for the U.S. Army Chief of Staff’s Strategic Studies Group. Collectively, his research interests center on Soldier performance in combat and other dangerous contexts. He has authored over 250 scientific papers, is the co-editor of Leadership in Dangerous Situations: A Handbook for Armed Forces, Emergency Services, and First Responders (Naval Institute Press, 2011) the Oxford Handbook of Military Psychology (Oxford University Press, 2012), and (in collaboration with co-editors David E. Rohall and Morten G. Ender), Inclusion in the American Military: A Force for Diversity, published by Lexington Books (2017). He is a co-author of The Millennial Generation and National Defense: Attitudes of Future Military and Civilian Leaders (Palgrave Pivot, 2013), and the author of the highly acclaimed Head Strong: How Psychology is Revolutionizing War (Oxford University Press, revised and expanded edition, April 2020). His most recent co-edited book, Human Performance Optimization: The Science and Ethics of Enhancing Human Capabilities (Oxford University Press) was published in January 2019. His forthcoming book, coauthored with Lt. General Robert L. Caslen, Jr. (Ret.), is The Character Edge: Leading and Winning with Integrity (St. Martin's Press, October 2020).

Reviews

[Eric Randolph · Rating 2 out of 5]

A chatty look at the role of psychologists in the military that doesn't delve very deep and reads a bit like an extended pamphlet on the industry, but has an interesting take on trauma (as many people have positive, life-affirming reactions as develop PTSD) before skimming through scary-sounding proposals for the future (soldiers having their brains rewired to need less sleep and kill more easily), which is somewhat saved by a thoughtful discussion on the ethics of the trade, and whether psychology might be used to promote smarter, more diplomatic international relations.

[Frances · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I generally am interested in psychology, and while this was well written, it was not my cup of tea. While I don't mind some military in my fiction, apparently getting it in my nonfiction is just too much for my tastes.

[Wesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

apart from the author dropping in a few references to psychology, didn't really find this useful.