“No man's land”: the transition to civilian life
| Published date | 05 April 2013 |
| Pages | 86-100 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17596591311313681 |
| Date | 05 April 2013 |
| Author | Helen Brunger,Jonathan Serrato,Jane Ogden |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care,Sociology |
‘‘No man’s land’’: the transition to civilian life
Helen Brunger, Jonathan Serrato and Jane Ogden
Abstract
Purpose – Ex-service personnel face numerous and significant problems upon discharge from the
forces. The purpose of this paper is to explore experiences of the transition from military to civilian life
and to identify some of the barriers and facilitators to re-employment.
Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews were carried out with 11 ex-servicemen who
had previously served in the UK armed forces and analysed using interpretative phenomenological
analysis (IPA).
Findings – Participants described their experiences in terms of three broad themes: characteristics of a
military life; loss as experienced upon return to civilian life; and the attempt to bridge the gap between
these two lives. Transcendingthese themes was the notion of identity, illustrating that the transition from
military to civilian life can be viewed as a shift in sense of self from soldier to civilian.
Research limitations/implications – The current study only recruited male ex-service personnel and
therefore the findings may not accurately represent the experiences of female service leavers.
Practical implications – The military needs to ensure that not only is support provided for all service
personnel, but that it goes beyond basic vocational advice. Although the needs of ex-service personnel
are defined by factors other than unemployment, such as trauma or the sudden loss of security,they do
relate back to unemployment insome capacity. Methodological changes to the discharge process could
help this population to achieve a more continuous trajectory rather than a fragmented one.
Originality/value – The present study has provided further insight into the identity experiences of
ex-service personnel along their journey from soldier to civilian. Breakwell’s Identity Process Theory
provided a valuable framework for understanding the experiences of ex-service personnel.
Keywords Armed forces, Human resource management, Employment, Ex-servicemen, Identity,
Transition, Readjustment, United Kingdom, Interpretative phenomenological analysis
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Discourse concerning the recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continues to be prevalent
within global media networks, and together these conflicts have contributed to a renewed
surge in military literature. However, whereas research has concentrated largely
on impairments to the mental health of soldiers (both veterans and active personnel), and
in particular conflict-related psychological impacts, there remains comparatively minimal
evidence for the wider transitional experiences of military personnel following discharge
from the forces. Although the transition from military to civilian life has been a focal point of
some prior work (Higate, 2001; Karner, 1998; McGarry, 2010), there remains a continued
need to investigate those factors influencing the processes of readjustment.
According to Johnson et al. (2008), research has suggested that there are four main
categories of ex-service personnel: those who report vulnerabilities prior to joining the forces
(such as substance abuse); those who experience difficulties during service (such as
trauma); those who were successful in the armed forces but are unable to re-settle into the
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JOURNALOF AGGRESSION, CONFLICTAND PEACERESEARCH
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VOL. 5 NO. 2 2013, pp. 86- 100, QEmeraldGroup Publishing Limited,ISSN 1759-6599 DOI 10.1108/17596591311313681
Helen Brunger is based at
the Department
of Psychology, University
of Surrey, Guildford, UK.
Jonathan Serrato is based
at Craigwood Youth
Services, Ontario, Canada.
Jane Ogden is based at the
Department of Psychology,
University of Surrey,
Guildford, UK.
The authors would like to thank
all of the ex-service personnel
involved in this project for
sharing their experiences.
The authors also acknowledge
the insightful comments of the
two anonymous reviewers.
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