The Structured Frustration of Cultural Aspirations: Selection to Elite Military Units, Symbolic Violence, and Trauma

Autor/inn/en	Yair, Gad; Aviram, Ohad
Titel	The Structured Frustration of Cultural Aspirations: Selection to Elite Military Units, Symbolic Violence, and Trauma
Quelle	In: British Journal of Sociology of Education, 44 (2023) 1, S.43-59 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Yair, Gad)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0142-5692
DOI	10.1080/01425692.2022.2126823
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; High School Students; Males; Military Training; Military Service; Tests; Emotional Response; Psychological Patterns; Failure; Self Esteem; Violence; Trauma; Aspiration; Expectation; Adults; Test Preparation; Cultural Influences; Israel + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Male; Männliches Geschlecht; Militärausbildung; Militärdienst; Examination; Prüfung; Examen; Emotionales Verhalten; Self-esteem; Selbstaufmerksamkeit; Gewalt; Streben; Expectancy; Erwartung; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss
Abstract	This paper tells a story of Israeli male high schoolers who spend their adolescent years preparing for service in elite military units in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). They dream of serving in special units and begin training at 15 or 16 years old. After years of taxing preparations, at the age of 17 they arrive at the grueling military exams. They are at their peak -- potent and energized, motivated, and in the best shape of their lives. Yet most high schoolers return from the examinations psychologically broken. Having imagined their future selves as virile commandos, they return humiliated for cowering during the tough assignments. The paper draws on interviews with 40 adults who failed the exams 10 to 15 years after the event. Using Bourdieu's theory of symbolic violence, it shows that youthful failure at 17 continues to send debilitating messages for years after the event. Those who fail continually tell themselves that they are not worthy, not good enough, that they do not have enough character or strength. Consequently, they abandon possible life trajectories and possible selves. They surrender to the exam, and then remain prisoners of a cultural ethos they have failed to embody. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01