Let’s talk psych and the social sciences, a wonderful area for junk science detection. A place where unscientific theories and practices evolve and flourish.
The essay linked below by Elise Cooper, contributing journalist for American Thinker, discusses suicides in the United States Military—and since I know a little about the subject, it caught my eye. Like most journalists who are dabbling in something they know little about, the essay is a series of interviews of experts—which means people who’s careers are dependent on their ability to portray themselves as experts. I will skip the many reasons why experts are often wrong but never in doubt (old Texas saying that I like).
Ms. Cooper does a workwomanlike job on the subject, reciting the reasons for the societal and political level of concern and anxiety that is obligatory. After all no crisis, no place for experts to thrive. However in the midst of the article she throws in a good science skunk that upsets the narrative and “consensus” and even raises the questions, is this a real thing, this crisis about military suicides? I quote:
“contributing writer to RHINO Den, Greg Drobny, thinks that the numbers are actually being underreported and that suicide rates among veterans from previous wars have also risen. He also points out, “The most recent data released from the Pentagon, for the years 2008-2011, show that 52% of military suicides are by those who have never deployed to a combat zone. Another 34% are those who deployed but in a non-combat role, meaning that 14% of those who took their own lives were combat veterans.” Dr. Hoge says that it appears that the soldiers with the highest number of deployments are less likely to commit suicide, attributing this to the “healthy warrior effect” and resilience, especially those in Special Ops.”
So maybe the secure nature of military service would attract dysfunctional people and then they would have trouble adjusting to demands of military life. If you wanna be a hero and make yo momma proud—sometimes it means staying up late and going without sleep in a miserable place, carrying a lot of weight and running and jumping when you’re tired and stuff. Get the idea? Maybe the non combat arms military people select themselves out as people at higher risk of mental disorders and suicide? How about a soft and spoiled kid who finds out that tough people actually do exist and frequently they are called sergeant and they don’t care if you’re tired and would like to rest. And then there’s all this talk about responsibility, accountability, and the MISSION.
The psych and social service people are like a man with a hammer—their hammer is talk, they think talking is good, always good. The non scientific nature of psych and social sciences is discussed eloquently by Paul McHugh, former Chair at Johns Hopkins in Psych and Sally Satel, who has a talent for writing and a good psych sense about her.
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