White Paper-thecommonblackhawk

Content Descriptions:

• Mindset of recruits during boot camp
• Positive approach vs. negative approach
• Belittle causes positivity?
• What motivates the recruit? Being yelled at or showing off success to family?

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Working Hypothesis:

While unknown to those outside of the military community, the defeat and belittlement that recruits are subject to build up a positive mindset within the recruit. While this sounds counterintuitive, some sense may be made of this. From the outside, it would seem as though repetitive belittlement and defeat would initiate a coping mechanism of shutting down and losing touch with inner emotions. After experiencing the world of basic training, recruits discover that just the opposite is true. The negative environment surrounding the recruits causes a shift in the thought process for those strong enough to make it through the training. Those who make it through basic training adopt a mindset that takes them out of the present. Instead of harping on how horrible their life is in the present, recruits turn their mind to how great it will be to graduate. They think about how proud their significant others, parents, and siblings will be when they first see them in their uniform. These thoughts cause an influx of positive emotions that get the recruits through the worst of the worst situations.

Second Hypothesis:

Basic recruit training for the United States Military is definitely a hellish one. To be effective, the military puts its recruits through rigorous training that is hard to imagine. With that being said, the military sets strict standards to weed out the ineffective soldiers. Relentless drill sergeants harping on every failure gets the recruit used to failure. With this kind of harsh treatment, the soon to be soldiers learn that with the fewer mistakes made, the less punishment will be received. Considering the world of the military, mistakes could be deadly, so this would make sense as to why it was the training goal of our military.

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Topics for Smaller Papers:

Definition/Classification: The theory of self-efficacy is explained as the belief of one’s own ability to successfully accomplish something”. “Efficacious people set challenging goals and maintain strong commitment to them.” This theory is one of many and has theories that go against it. That being said, this theory remains at the top for those who study health behavior because of how many times it has seemed to have been proven right.

Cause and Effect: The negative experience that recruits go through lead directly to positive thoughts. Not positive thoughts about where they are or what they are doing, but positive thoughts about the future. When being called every name in the book and being told that they can do nothing right, there is very little to be positive about. Yet those who are successful in completing Basic Training find something. They find their motivation to finish. The constant belittlement causes recruits to think about how amazing it will be when their significant other will see them in uniform. They think about how proud they will be to shake their fathers hand or how exciting it will be to hug their mother. They think about how proud they will be to dawn their black beret or how accomplished they will be when they can finally call them self a soldier. Anytime the recruit is suffering through more aching punishment, they think those thoughts to give themselves a positive mindset. In the end, the harsh negativity provides the recruit the tools to motivate them-self with positivity.

Rebuttal: While it is said that recruit training rids the recruit of their emotions through constant belittlement, I would argue just the opposite. Having experienced this training myself, I even assumed that I would come out heartless and fearless due to the sheer fact of being surrounded by failure and harsh conditions. What I did not account for, was the deep connection I made with myself while coping with the struggle. When I was yelled at or punished, I did not try to erase my feelings so I wouldn’t feel bad. Instead, I thought 8 weeks into the future and imagined my girlfriend seeing me on the parade field in my dress uniform. I though of how proud she would be of my accomplishment and how I would be able to tell her about all of the things I overcame while away. These thoughts gave me the adrenaline I needed to get through each of the horrible situations I encountered.

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Current State of Research Paper:

As of right now, I feel very good about my paper. I will be doing creating my survey soon and then I will distribute it to those who qualify. It seems that it may be hard to find outside sources but after I conduct my survey, I may be able find some sources that further explain the outcome of my survey. Other than that, I am excited to study more about my hypothesis. From the data I have collected so far, it seems that my original thoughts were correct about recruit training. This will become clearer as I research more.