Thanks for posting this - I wonder if we are capable of discussing the concept of anger without losing it?
I doubt it - basically because anger is a part of brainwashing that takes place on a more primitive, less concious level of the mind.
I have struggled with anger issues, as well. It's too easy for me to lose my temper and use words I absolutely hate myself for afterwords. It's like an inner "drill seargant" explodes out of me. I fear getting angry at all, because in nearly every case, I end up with an anger hangover. It doesn't take much for me to "confront" someone like I was conditioned to, in Straight. It's horrifying. I end up feeling shaky, heart racing, face flushed, etc. For those moments, the rational, decent part of me gets switched off. Afterwards, I feel exhausted, depressed, unable to think or function properly etc. In other words, the outburst and the aftermath have similar traits to PTSD.
Fight or Flight, Posture or Submit.
In nature, members of the same species get along fairly well. Competition is generally limited to certain behaviors that are ritualized, to prevent actual injury. When two animals in competition for resources like food or a mate, approach one another, the general routine starts with posturing, then vocalizations. If neither backs down, it can get physical, but in nature, usually the younger and weaker animal can and will retreat. If retreat is not an option, the weaker animal will submit, ie, show it's throat, lay on the ground, etc. Usually, the dominant animal allows the defeated one to escape - often with no injuries or only minor ones. It's this process that allows younger, less experienced animals the opportunity to reach maturity and eventually reproduce. So what happens to animals that keep fighting when they are outmatched? Well, according to Darwin, they are stupid and they get killed - and therefore do not pass on thier genes to future generations.
In nature, it's generally OK for animals to "posture" ie. act like they are willing to fight, but most will choose to flee, posture, or submit to actual combat.
Brainwashing, is basically conditioning someone to do something they would otherwise think insane.
In Straight, we could Fight, Posture, or Submit. Rarely was Flight an option. Worse still, if we found ourselves in a fight and opted to submit, we had no faith that the attack would not continue unabated, or even escalate into a group frenzy.
I recently picked up a book by a former army officer and psychology professor. The book addresses combat trauma and PTSD among veterans. He details the process of turning a kid into a soldier, using a process called "operant conditioning". In essence, boot camp and other training recieved by the recruit allow him to do automatically what had previously been unthinkable. Run toward danger, attack and kill, but only if so ordered.
All that screaming done by drill seargants is part of the process of getting a recuit to "submit". In essence, the goal is to restrict the Fight behavior so that it's only an option when "under orders" Likewise, Of course, the desire to Flee must also be conditioned away. For a recruit/soldier, most of waking time is spent in either Posture or Submit mode. When they do "fight", they are rewarded, but only if they fight as ordered. Recruits experience a form of bonding to thier group, and a sense of elation when thier channeled aggression is acknowledged by their peers and superiors.
Does this sound familiar at all?
In the field, soldiers do as they were trained, and within the framework of the armed forces, this training gives soldiers a greater chance to survive, and given the proper circumstances, the likelyhood of emotional trauma post-conflict can be fairly low.
PTSD is less likely to occur among soldiers if:
They are under direct orders to act, especially if the authority figure is nearby, and feared/respected by the group.
they feel morally certain about thier actions "I was defending my life and the lives of my friends",
The enemy is distant. (the degree of emotional trauma is in direct correlation to how close the enemy is)
They act as part of a group, and have that group's approval/support.
Last and perhaps most importantly, they have the respect/support of society when returning home.
Post-conflict support by society may be the most important element for resolving the emotional trauma experienced. WWII vets were welecomed home with parades. Viet Nam vets were insulted, avoided, and treated as pariahs. Overall, Viet Nam vets had far more difficulty with PTSD, and I believe this is directly resultant from the ambiguous response they got upon returning home.
PTSD is more likely to occur if:
The authority figure is not respected.
The "enemy" is near
The individual is not bonded to the group
Most important again, is the reception they recieve by peers and family when they return to society. In order of importance, they need thier peer's support most of all, thier family's second, and society's third. Studies have shown that even mild traumatic incidents can lead to severe PTSD among soldiers that suffer a negative emotional response from even one of the three above groups.
Straight was a PTSD Factory.
Think about the reaction most kids got when the brainwashing didn't stick, and they responded with "Fight", "Posture" or "Flight"
Screamed at by peers.
Rejected by families.
Considered "criminals, juvies, and head cases" by society.
It's a wonder we're not more screwed up than we are.
So, why do we blow up at people? Why do we attack each other viciously in these forums? Why can't we ever hang out together in even small groups? Because event the most violently anti-Straight among us - those who claim a degree of liberation - are still "brainwashed". I'm not talking about rational thinking here, folks, I'm talking instinctive, subconcious, cerebellum shit.
A lot of us have aggression issues. I believe it has to do with a form of "operant conditioning" we were put through. All of us feared being confronted, and most of us were initially very afraid to be the one to do the confronting. Eventually, we were called on to do the confronting. If we didn't, the group would go after us. A lot of us faked it at first, but were "rewarded" by the group or staff.. Eventually, we became indoctrinated into a seriously aggressive form of "posturing".
However, none of us had the "flight" option. We could "fight", which usually led to extreme confrontation, if not restraint, beat-downs, etc.
Several factors about Straight's methods amplified the negative emotional trauma many of us struggle with. Remember, the goal of "operant conditioning" is to create behaviors and actions on an automatic, not cognitive level. They IMBEDDED it.
Straight participants are more likely to suffer emotional trauma because:
Confrontations happened in very close proximity,
generally while in a group we feared,
in front of staff we distrusted.
Even when we were fully indoctrinated, the anxiety and fear of the group or staff "turning on us" was always close by. Worse still, if that happened, our families could be expected to support staff's decision. By default society would reject us as well. This is the perfect storm of "operant conditioning" at it's worst.
Those of us who elected to avoid doing any confronting became the targets of attack and rejection by the group. According to psychologists, this approach leads to a condition of "learned helplessness" Dogs beaten repeatedly in thier cages will eventually not run away, even if the cage door is left open for extened periods. For those of us who asked ourselves "why didn't I run away? Why didn't I fight back?" Here's your answer - directly from B.F. Skinner.
For those of us who are still busy hating staff members, keep in mind that PTSD is prevalent among line officers. They are instructed to act upon the dubious orders of superiors they likely don't respect, while remaining above/apart from the group, knowing those orders may result in harm to those they have been trained to lead and protect. Even the best intentioned officers suffer the horrible realization that their best efforts cannot prevent terrible things from happening.
I would imagine most former staff members have two choices.
Remain completely indoctrinated as a means of psychological defense. When reality creeps in, it's a bitch.
Or,
Suffer amplified emotional trauma resulting from:
Rejection by those they thought of as authority figures
Rejection and condemnation by the group
Rejection by society, and accusations of being conspirators.
Personally, I had to acknowledge all of the above, and am still dealing with it.
