Overview

"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."

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9780199916177

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The application of the human and cognitive sciences to the art of war (the so called Human Dimension ) is a challenge of national importance. Smaller budgets and a smaller military dictates that the United States can only win in the future if we gain the most from every soldier. I invented the term Human Dimension in 1993 as a call to my war fighting colleagues to commit to making every soldier better at cognition, grit, resilience, and decision making. We've made some very halting progress. But what's missing is a volume that explains the entire issue of the Human Dimension to the public and to those policy makers in Congress and the military who determine our fate. This book is the first, and at present, the only single source for understanding the human dimension with an amazingly cogent view of what the military must do in the future to get this right. Unquestionably the best book on psychology and war ever written. -- Major General Robert H. Scales, US Army (Retired), Ph.D., author of Yellow Smoke: The Future of Land Warfare for America's Military A superb and insightful presentation of the essential building blocks to become a thoughtful military or civilian leader. This book provides good science interposed with reinforcing anecdotes. Although geared to the military reader, the lessons contained within are applicable to a much wider audience. For example, winning hearts and minds is certainly necessary knowledge for our force projection policies as we embed with indigenous forces but I believe it is just as important and relevant to executives working in multinational corporations working across cultural barriers. -- Richard Carmona, Vice Admiral (Retired), M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., 17th Surgeon General of The United States Head Strong is a must read for those who study war, those affected by it, and those who want to create responsive support systems that make a difference. Mike Matthews skillfully weaves history, B

Matthews presents a well-structured, relevant, and multidimensional argument about the future impacts of psychological research and development for the armed forces. Military Review

The application of the human and cognitive sciences to the art of war (the so called Human Dimension ) is a challenge of national importance. Smaller budgets and a smaller military dictates that the United States can only win in the future if we gain the most from every soldier. I invented the term Human Dimension in 1993 as a call to my war fighting colleagues to commit to making every soldier better at cognition, grit, resilience, and decision making. We've made some very halting progress. But what's missing is a volume that explains the entire issue of the Human Dimension to the public and to those policy makers in Congress and the military who determine our fate. This book is the first, and at present, the only single source for understanding the human dimension with an amazingly cogent view of what the military must do in the future to get this right. Unquestionably the best book on psychology and war ever written. -- Major General Robert H. Scales, US Army (Retired), Ph.D., author of Yellow Smoke: The Future of Land Warfare for America's Military A superb and insightful presentation of the essential building blocks to become a thoughtful military or civilian leader. This book provides good science interposed with reinforcing anecdotes. Although geared to the military reader, the lessons contained within are applicable to a much wider audience. For example, winning hearts and minds is certainly necessary knowledge for our force projection policies as we embed with indigenous forces but I believe it is just as important and relevant to executives working in multinational corporations working across cultural barriers. -- Richard Carmona, Vice Admiral (Retired), M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., 17th Surgeon General of The United States Head Strong is a must read for those who study war, those affected by it, and those who want to create responsive support systems that make a difference. Mike Matthews skillfully weaves history, n

Uniquely accessible and comprehensive. -- Library Journal Lively and engaging... When Matthews writes about his own research on the psychology of soldier performance and leadership, or his experience as a professor at the United States Military Academy at West Point in New York, the book springs to life. -- Nature The application of the human and cognitive sciences to the art of war (the so called Human Dimension ) is a challenge of national importance... I invented the term Human Dimension in 1993 as a call to my war fighting colleagues to commit to making every soldier better at cognition, grit, resilience, and decision making. We've made some very halting progress. But what's missing is a volume that explains the entire issue of the Human Dimension to the public and to those policy makers in Congress and the military who determine our fate. This book is the first, and at present, the only single source for understanding the human dimension with an amazingly cogent view of what the military must do in the future to get this right. Unquestionably the best book on psychology and war ever written. -- Major General Robert H. Scales, US Army (Retired), Ph.D., author of Yellow Smoke: The Future of Land Warfare for America's Military A superb and insightful presentation of the essential building blocks to become a thoughtful military or civilian leader. This book provides good science interposed with reinforcing anecdotes. Although geared to the military reader, the lessons contained within are applicable to a much wider audience. For example, winning hearts and minds is certainly necessary knowledge for our force projection policies as we embed with indigenous forces but I believe it is just as important and relevant to executives working in multinational corporations working across cultural barriers. -- Richard Carmona, Vice Admiral (Retired), M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.S., 17th Surgeon General of The United States Head Stron

Author Information

Michael D. Matthews is Professor of Engineering Psychology at the United States Military Academy. He served as President of the American Psychological Association's Division of Military Psychology from 2007 to 2008 and is a Templeton Foundation Senior Positive Psychology Fellow. Collectively, his research interests center on Soldier performance in combat and other dangerous contexts.

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