Development of the research subject of military psychology as a scientific discipline (1947-2022)

Abstract

The paper presents the development of the research subject of military psychology as a scientific discipline within psychology as a branch of science. The development of psychology in the military context is presented from its beginnings in 1947 and through seven and a half decades of establishing its constituents (language, methodology, empirical data, etc.). Military psychology was created and has been developed by psychologists employed in military organizations and military research-educational institutions through their work on selection and classification as well as on training and education of personnel for defense purposes, applying multidisciplinary and psychological knowledge to the life and work of military personnel in peace and war. The development of the research subject of military psychology has been analyzed through two periods of society development, namely, through the changes of socio-political circumstances which influenced the scope and content of psychological research in the military, thus shaping the particularities of the subject. The first period deals with the development of the research subject of military psychology in the former SFRY and the JNA (1947-1992) while the second period presents military psychological research in different sovereign entities (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia) and their military organizations (the Yugoslav Army, the Army of Serbia and Montenegro, and the Serbian Armed Forces (1992-2022).

Keywords

• defence sector
• psychology
• military psychology
• research in the military
• military sciences