Introduction
The book titled ‘On Killing: The psychological cost of learning to kill in war and society.’ by Dave Crossman explores the psychology of the killing art in society. The genre of the book is that it offers an illuminating account of how military personnel learn to kill and how they live with such experiences. Therefore, it provides valuable insights into how the law enforcement officers and the military attempt to comprehend and deal with the repercussions of such killings. This book is crucial because it informs that most military officers at the battlefront do not pull their triggers because of their resistance to killing. Although the book by Grossman disqualifies the widespread belief that most soldiers in war situations are excited to kill, it also includes the environmental and psychological implications of such an act.
Book Report on the Lessons Learnt
The book is significant because it offers vital lessons by educating people that the soldier has the choice of killing or not. In this book, Grossman observes that considerable psychological costs prevent police officers or combat soldiers from killing people. Therefore, most law enforcement officers and military personnel are never mentally prepared for any eventuality if they kill someone in their line of duty (Grossman 7). When their peers and commanders do not support their actions, they are not ready to carry their cross. For example, most combat soldiers will not desire to kill any person no matter the circumstances when they cannot justify their actions or no other individual support them.
‘On Killing’ by Dave Grossman is highly insightful and offers vital lessons on the choices that the soldiers or police officers have in their line of duty. According to this book, the security personnel have four options in their line of duty (Grossman 11). Such options include submission, posture, flight, and fight. In some situations, the soldiers are forced to surrender to their opponents or enemies. During submission, such personnel avoid being injured after realizing they are fighting a losing battle. In the case of flight, security personnel have the choice to flee the battlefield. The choice of fighting dictates that the soldier has to work hard to overcome the enemy, which is primarily the reason for going to war.
The book is significant in enlightening the reader about Grossman’s theory regarding the Second World War. According to this book, most people do not support the idea of killing another human being, irrespective of whether that person dies on the battlefront (Grossman 3). Grossman argues that soldiers need time to decompress and to debrief, failure to which they will feel isolated, which will only worsen the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder. The author also adds that every person who experiences the battlefield returns with post-traumatic stress disorder. The book also informs the readers that such soldiers come back from the battlefield with damaged psyches and minds, and the primary challenge is how to cope.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the book opposes the widespread belief that most soldiers in war situations are excited to kill. Additionally, this book is informative because it helps provide scientific scrutiny on the process of killing on the battlefield or in war. ‘On Killing’ attempts to focus on the most disgraceful aspects of killing and war on human beings. According to this book, security forces such as the army apply posturing before violence. In this case, it is common to find the army displaying their combat along the enemy’s border. For example, opposing forces usually arrange their armor and navies along coasts and borders. In this case, such a scenario is a way of displaying dominance and power even when the more significant force is elsewhere. For example, guerilla warfare is about posturing forces to intimidate the opponent.
Work Cited
Grossman, Dave. On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society. Little, Brown and Co., 2009.