In continuing my research on my chosen public intellectual, I found some very interesting information. In his studies on the US military, in regards to psychology, he explored the idea that Infantry Basic Training has a positive psychological impact on the recruits. After conducting a study, Ekman found that there was no evidence of that, especially shown in the lack of growth in ego-strength. He actually found the opposite of what he was looking for, when his data showed an increase in aggression and impulsive behavior. The evidence also proved that the recruits appeared to be less likely to acknowledge their own responsibility in conflict, and more likely to react aggressively to these situations.

I found this information to be particularly interesting because we often view the military as such a positive, honorable thing, and we understand the physical sacrifice that many make, but this study brought up the idea that these men and women are even sacrificing psychologically before they are even out of training.