Topline
The language Americans use when discussing military veterans, specifically referring to them as heroes, may lead veterans to enlist in careers closely associated with selflessness and careers with lower-pay, a study out Monday found.
The Department of Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Fort Worth, Texas.
Key Facts
The belief that “heroes” should be self-sacrificing is leading veterans into lower-paying service-oriented careers, researchers found in a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
Through 11 experiments with 6,500 participants, researchers examined the connection between “hero” language and low rates of employment and earnings, compared to those who are not veterans, after observing higher rates of un- and under-employment among veterans transitioning to civilian life.
The researchers sought to identify potential negative consequences of “heroizing” groups such as veterans, and defined hero as acting “in a prosocial manner despite personal risk.” Among the 11 experiments was one in which researchers gathered a list of the five careers perceived to be the most and least selfish, and then asked participants to rate the careers by how well they would suit a military veteran transitioning into the civilian workforce.
Researchers found participants were more likely to assign careers that ranked lower in selfishness, like public school teacher or firefighter, as better fits for veterans, rather than careers that ranked high in selfishness like private banking.
It wasn’t just veterans: one experiment found that positive stereotypes about heroism could be applied to other professionals such as nurses and firefighters; participants expected people who worked in those professions to sacrifice more for others too.
Across multiple experiments, the study found that the stereotypes of military veterans as selfless and heroic may actually funnel them into low-paying jobs, even if that is not what the job-seekers in question want.
Key Background
This is not the first study to look at hero worship of veterans when they enter or reenter the civil workforce. In October, a study published in the Journal of International Human Resource Management found that veterans who return to the workforce after service face a paradox of stigma and hero worship in the workplace. For the qualitative study, researchers interviewed 40 veterans about their experience in the workplace. Respondents said that many colleagues in the civil workplace assumed veterans had experienced combat duty or had PTSD. The combination of these assumptions and the phenomenon of hero worship led the veterans to experience culture shock and eventual turnover in the workplace, researchers found.
Big Number
200,000. That’s how many U.S. military veterans are discharged each year, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, and subsequently looking to enter or reenter the civilian workforce.
Crucial Quote
“There are lots of reasons why Americans enlist in the military, and we should not assume that veterans want to make a career out of serving others, especially at the expense of other needs and desires,” said Matthew Stanley, lead author of the study and post-doctoral research associate at Duke University. “By funneling veterans into specific jobs, organizations, and careers associated with selflessness, we may be unfairly limiting their agency and limiting their options.”
Further Reading
Veterans Don’t Want Hero Worship At Work (Forbes)
On Veterans Day, Here Are Stories That Honor Heroes and Homecoming (NPR)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anafaguy/2023/01/30/hero-language-leads-us-veterans-to-civilian-careers-with-lower-pay-study-suggests/