The Moral Career of Soldiers’ Identity: A Norwegian Case

Iselin Silja Kaspersen
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Abstract

Military service can require soldiers to act beyond their moral beliefs, something that can impair soldiers’ mental health. However, little is known about the shaping of soldiers’ moral identity within their institutional context. This article explores how the moral identity of 20 experienced Norwegian soldiers is (re-)shaped in the Army. Findings from unstructured interviews suggest that they accept compromising their moral beliefs and give priority to an institutional obligation to follow orders. They present three mediating arguments justifying such a compromise and one effort to reduce the potential burden of carrying out illegal or immoral orders. I argue that these compromises are made possible through a shared belief they are socialized into through interactions in their military context. The study complements our knowledge of socialization processes in the military and identifies two theoretical concepts useful to gain knowledge about the (re-)shaping of soldiers’ moral identity.
士兵身份的道德生涯:一个挪威的案例
服兵役可能要求士兵的行为超出他们的道德信仰,这可能会损害士兵的心理健康。然而,关于士兵道德认同在其制度背景下的形成,我们所知甚少。本文探讨了20名经验丰富的挪威士兵的道德认同是如何在军队中(重新)塑造的。非结构化访谈的结果表明,他们愿意妥协自己的道德信仰,并优先考虑服从命令的制度义务。他们提出了三个调解论据,证明这种妥协是合理的,并提出了一项努力,以减少执行非法或不道德命令的潜在负担。我认为,这些妥协之所以成为可能,是因为他们有一个共同的信念,通过在军事背景下的互动,他们被社会化了。该研究补充了我们对军队社会化过程的认识,并确定了两个理论概念,这些概念有助于获得有关士兵道德认同(重新)塑造的知识。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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