The American Soldier: An Assessment, Several Wars Later

Abstract

and others, Measurement and Prediction, published one year later.) The range of separate studies reported in The American Soldier, their ingenuity, method of analysis, and theoretical implications, helped establish research on public opinion as an important area for scientific work, as well as signaling the contributions of a remarkable number of social scientists brought together in this unique wartime effort. One of that group, the distinguished sociologist Robin M. Williams, Jr., has agreed to reflect on the importance-then and now-of The American Soldier. We hope that his essay will send our readers back to the original volumes. There is much still to learn from them.Who now reads the four volumes of Studies in Social Psychology in World War II? What was The American Soldier? This article deals with three main questions concerning the first two volumes of the series, entitled The American Soldier: What was their importance at the time? What has been their lasting value? What have been their influences on the development of sociology and of social sciences more generally? Each of the questions really calls for a major research effort-tracking down reviews and citations, tracing the development of concepts and hypotheses, surveying and interviewing social scientists. Lacking time Downloaded from 156 Robin M. Williams, Jr.and other necessary resources to carry out such research, we must settle for a more informal, impressionistic approach.Four decades after its publication, it is difficult to appreciate the initial massive impact of the work. The books were widely reviewed, both in scholarly journals and in the press. They were used in military academies and schools, and some of the authors lectured there. The study was intensively discussed in meetings of sociological and psychological organizations. Contributors to the books were called upon for articles, lectures, and consultations, and they typically obliged the requests. The work was roundly criticized and highly praised. It elicited major commentaries, both substantive and methodological. In short, it was a major intellectual event.The American Soldier was self-described by the title of the series in which the volumes appeared: Studies in Social Psychology in World War II. The 1968 edition of the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences subsumed the volumes under the title "Military Psychology" in an article whose author characterized the work as "the first major organized program of military social psychology, a program on attitudes and motivation" (Bray, 1968:335). Although that labeling was explicit and has not been challenged, it is not fully accurate. Any careful reading of volumes 1 and 2 will show the pervasive attention given to social, cultural, and indeed physical factors, and much of the analysis clearly is sociological.Many features of the work were unprecedented. Prior to World War II, firsthand sociological research was wholly unknown within the American military services:As late as May 24, 1941, survey research was not allowed. . . ...

Taming power: Generative historical consciousness.

“…When something happens to in-group friends, ties of affiliation can tighten into the knot of revenge. Thus, Stouffer et al (1949; see also Williams, 1989) found that most soldiers fight not because of ideology or even patriotism, but rather because of affiliative bonds with their fellow soldiers—to protect and, if necessary, to avenge them. Moreover, in the presence of people who are appear “different” or threatening, affiliation-motivated people tend to respond with distancing, dislike, or even aggression (see the review of research in Winter, 1996, pp.…”

“The most important technique …”: Carl Rogers, Hawthorne, and the rise and fall of nondirective interviewing in sociology

“…Clausen (1984) records that the work of the Research Branch was highly intensive and methodologically varied, and that it had a strong multidisciplinary component. Moreover, Research Branch staff needed to be methodologically versatile (Williams, 1989). Those involved in a particular project were responsible for all aspects of the research process, from design through implementation, data collection, and analysis.…”

The Long Twentieth Century in American Sociology: A Semiautobiographical Survey

“…59-101). Later critics who condemned that work for what they called disengaged statistical abstractions ignored the detailed direct involvement and observation that provided indispensable interpretive context for the survey findings (see Williams 1989).…”