Soldiers´ reach for optimized performance

Abstract

This dissertation is concerned with the challenge of better understanding how soldiers develop skillfulness needed to deal with the various challenges they face in their life-worlds, as soldiers. The study bears on empirical material gathered through participating observation and qualitative interviews with Norwegian soldiers during winter exercises: soldiers mainly belonging to forceproducing military units for upcoming missions in Afghanistan. Special emphasis is placed on how relevant experiences, intuitive/deliberate behavior and context-sensitivity may influence the soldiers’ skill execution. The notion that the soldiers’ practice arena is more or less isolated from the arena where the soldiers are expected to deliver high-leveled performances contributes to substantiate these aspects further.

Paper I: Eriksen, J.W. (2010) Mindless Coping in Competitive Sport: Some Implications and Consequences. Sport, Ethics and Philosophy, 4(1), 66 - 86

Paper II: Eriksen, J.W. (2010) Should Soldiers Think before They Shoot? Journal of Military Ethics, 9(3), 195 - 218

Paper III: Eriksen, J.W. From Expert Skills towards Optimized Performance. Submitted, Armed Forces and Society.

Paper IV: Eriksen, J.W., & Heier, T. (2009). Winter as the Number One Enemy? Lessons Learned from North Afghanistan. RUSI Journal 154(5), 64 –71