John Dollard's Fear Research cont.

It seems that every archive is more interesting the second time you visit it. This is especially true for Dollard's. I can't say that any of his research astonishes me; it present ideas/tactics that are completely common knowledge today that I thought them to be instinctual. Only when I saw it within the context contrived by the archive, I could understand how this didactic compilation was in many ways, ground-breaking. I examined Dollard's actual published pamphlet that synthesizes all of the lessons learned via Abraham Lincoln Brigade veterans' interviews. It outlined some very basic but useful information. He characterizes fear and courage as being contagious, so within a fighting situation fear should be suppressed. Alternatively, outside the battlefield, fear should not be suppressed. It is in fact, more detrimental. Jokes should be encouraged to release tension and distract the soldiers. Above all else, discussions between leaders and troops assessing the danger of a forthcoming battle, are key for managing fear. Of course, fear is a necessary and useful emotion; it mobilizes, heightens senses and produces a more cautious and alert soldier, but the negative effects can be corrosive. Thus, it is immensely important for a soldier to know that he is not the only one dealing with this powerful emotion. I get the feeling that the acknowledge of fear within the military was unheard of before this study. The machismo would have prevented any useful discussion leading the isolation of "cowardly" soldiers.

The pamphlet also discusses how to maintain the highest troop morale. 95% of ALB vets said that "inner discipline" that comes from self-regulation and true understanding of war aims along with good leadership produce the most effective soldier. Of course, ALB vets were volunteers and therefore, fighting for a cause they felt passionately about, but it is interesting how scrappy the technologically-inferior republicans were. They held out for much longer than anyone could have predicted and this must have been due to their common, unrelenting goal -something worth fighting for.