CAUSES OF EMOTIONAL STRESS 



443 



are due to temperamental or personality 

 factors. Why is it that some can take com- 

 mands without resentment, can cooperate 

 with others and strive for the benefit of 

 the group, w^hereas others cannot? A large 

 part of the answer lies in the relation 

 between the individual's character structure, 

 his early identification patterns, and the 

 various demands and gratifications provided 

 by the situation. 



One means of minimizing emotional stress 

 is to evaluate carefully the nature of the 

 situation, and to place individuals with com- 

 patible character structures in it. If the 

 person is properly placed, so that he lives 

 out his ego and group identifications, life 

 is meaningful and gratifying (28), but if 

 not, constant latent tensions permeate his 

 emotional life and behavior. In the latter 

 case, he may not know why he is not happy 

 or satisfied in his work, but only that he 

 feels at odds with himself and others, that 

 something is wrong. Sufficient and pro- 

 tracted conflict between the potentialities 

 of character structure and the demands of 

 reality in itself may result in neurotic 

 breakdown (76) and delay the individual's 

 recovery (78). 



Emotional Stress Aboard Submarines 



A necessary aspect of military life in gen- 

 eral, and submarine life in particular, is 

 the relation between the officers and the 

 enlisted men. The officer gives orders, is 

 dominant, and looks after the welfare of 

 the men; the enlisted men take orders and 

 are dependent on the officers for their well- 

 being and safety. 



Both officers and men must be able to 

 accept their respective roles if they are to 

 work together with maximal efficiency. In 

 order to avoid emotional stress and break- 

 down, the officer must be emotionally able 

 to assume and exhibit responsibility (58), be 

 thoroughly and competently trained (73), 

 show fairness and consideration in dealing 

 with his men (34) and feel genuine concern 

 for their welfare without getting too emo- 



tional (58), and should treat and respect 

 them as individuals. In other words, to 

 the men he should represent a strong, com- 

 petent, yet benevolent father figure (57), 

 and should be able to maintain his role on 

 the basis of his own character strength, 

 rather than solely on the basis of external 

 status symbols, such as rank. Correspond- 

 ingly, the men must have faith and con- 

 fidence in the ability, training, and maturity 

 of their officers (73), must feel that their 

 officers are concerned about their (the men's) 

 welfare when the situation calls for it (e.g., 

 placing a badly injured man in officers' quar- 

 ters (7)), and must be able emotionally to 

 accept the authority and directives of the 

 officer, and identify with him and his goals 

 (21, 34, 71). 1 



Difficulties arise, not only when the officer 

 is unable to carry out his parental role, but 

 also when the enlisted man is unable to 

 shift earlier parental (and family) ties in 

 order to establish the proper and necessary 

 officer (and group) identifications. This in- 

 ability may be due to several reasons, such 

 as overly strong dependencies on early fam- 

 ily attachments (29), the experience of too 

 much rejection or pampering as a child (66), 



1 From a series of interviews with submariners 

 who had several war patrols to their credit, it 

 appeared that these men wanted two general 

 qualities in their officers. In the first place, 

 they wanted officers who would watch out for 

 their safety, well-being, and comfort. This 

 meant, among other things, that the officers 

 should know their business thoroughly, know their 

 boat 'like a book,' and know how to handle her 

 under all possible conditions. Furthermore, the 

 officers should see to it that the men were properly 

 taken care of in all ways — whether it involve a 

 good menu, a 4.0 rating for the boat, or seeing to 

 it that the men's health was taken care of — and 

 who would not, for example, run unnecessary 

 risks (with their lives) just to get an award. The 

 second general quality had to do with the of- 

 ficers' strictness, consistency, and fairness in 

 dealing with the men, in seeing to it that everyone 

 did his work properly, and that all equipment was 

 always in perfect working condition. In short, 

 these men seemed to say, "If you will protect and 

 take care of me, I will do whatever you ask.'' 



