Download or read book Exploring Identity from Military to Civilian Life: a Phenomenological Study written by Shawn A. Saylors and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: ABSTRACT: According to the Department of Veteran Affairs (2017), there are roughly 22 million American veterans, which account for approximately 7% of the total U.S. population. Military culture can have a profound impact on the ability for individuals to reintegrate into civilian life. Prior evidence suggests that various programs and resources (i.e. finances, resume writing) can aid military personnel upon their transition to civilian life. However, research focusing on the impact of transition and the experiences of identity reconstruction amongst military members is limited. The current study was designed to explore identity reconstruction amongst individuals who were transitioning from military to civilian life. Male participants (N = 10) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format that addressed the following research questions: (a) What is the process of identity reconstruction during the transition from military to a civilian life? (b) what factors play a role in a successful transition from military to civilian life? (c) what factors may impede making a successful transition? (d) what is surprising about the transition? Results included several categories including the lack of purpose, becoming a leader of soldiers, strong support networks, the challenges of military culture, and preparation, as factors that impact an individual identity reconstruction and a successful transition into civilian life. Each category was broken down and discussed in this paper. These findings provide insight towards bringing more awareness of identity reconstruction, as well as information to better inform psychologists and various existing programs to be better suited to working with this unique population.