Veteran Anger Dysregulation: A Phenomenological Analysis of Help-Seeking Through Social Media

Veteran Anger Dysregulation: A Phenomenological Analysis of Help-Seeking Through Social Media by Deanna Bishop-Deaton MA, Liberty University, 2013 BS, Liberty University, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Forensic Psychology Walden University May 2019 Abstract In combat, anger becomes a new baseline and is promoted by peers as an acceptable means of militaristic motivation and coping with the atrocities of war. Unable to reconcile anger upon returning home, some veterans are forced to seek help via nontraditional paths. This interpretative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of male combat veterans who struggled with anger dysregulation issues and sought help from veteran peers on social media. Research questions were developed using the modal model of emotion as a guide for emotional dysregulation. Interviewed participants were invited to share lived experience of anger dysregulation, what helpseeking meant, and how they experienced using social media for management of anger dysregulation. Ten male combat veterans were recruited through snowballing and social media, they were interviewed via Skype. The results of the analyses revealed 7 major themes: emotional distress, shifting identity, reprisal, resistance to formal treatment, emotional reconciliation, social media use, and combat elitism. Participants shared beliefs that current support systems for anger dysregulation were neither fairly implemented nor effective for anger. Further revealed was that social media afforded veterans the opportunity to take advantage of anonymity, engage on their terms, rapidly target peers with similar combat and subsequent anger dysregulation experience, and learn how to rethink and reappraise to reconcile anger. This study contributes to an enhanced scholarly understanding of veterans’ nonconventional help-seeking approaches for anger dysregulation. Recommendations are provided to practitioners to support, promote, and be a voice for the voiceless to effect social change by advocating for and defending those who have defended the nation.In combat, anger becomes a new baseline and is promoted by peers as an acceptable means of militaristic motivation and coping with the atrocities of war. Unable to reconcile anger upon returning home, some veterans are forced to seek help via nontraditional paths. This interpretative phenomenological study explored the lived experience of male combat veterans who struggled with anger dysregulation issues and sought help from veteran peers on social media. Research questions were developed using the modal model of emotion as a guide for emotional dysregulation. Interviewed participants were invited to share lived experience of anger dysregulation, what helpseeking meant, and how they experienced using social media for management of anger dysregulation. Ten male combat veterans were recruited through snowballing and social media, they were interviewed via Skype. The results of the analyses revealed 7 major themes: emotional distress, shifting identity, reprisal, resistance to formal treatment, emotional reconciliation, social media use, and combat elitism. Participants shared beliefs that current support systems for anger dysregulation were neither fairly implemented nor effective for anger. Further revealed was that social media afforded veterans the opportunity to take advantage of anonymity, engage on their terms, rapidly target peers with similar combat and subsequent anger dysregulation experience, and learn how to rethink and reappraise to reconcile anger. This study contributes to an enhanced scholarly understanding of veterans’ nonconventional help-seeking approaches for anger dysregulation. Recommendations are provided to practitioners to support, promote, and be a voice for the voiceless to effect social change by advocating for and defending those who have defended the nation. Veteran Anger Dysregulation: A Phenomenological Analysis of Help-Seeking Through Social Media by Deanna Bishop-Deaton MA, Liberty University, 2013 BS, Liberty University, 2012 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Forensic Psychology Walden University May 2019 Dedication To my husband, the proven warrior both on and off the battlefield, I am proud of you. Your ability to maintain your humility and military bearing despite the daily mind battle is courageous and humbling. For you, I began this academic endeavor, and for your brothers and sisters in arms, I persisted until completion. You are my hero. This study is also dedicated to the soldiers of Charlie Company 2 Battalion 37 Armor Regiment and Dealer Company 2 Battalion 69 Armor Regiment. From the display of valiance in the combat theater to the noble efforts at home to tame postwar demons, may you someday find peace. Some servicemembers give the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield or fall victim to the plague that is postcombat mental war. To the following soldiers, this study is dedicated in honor of your sacrifice: Staff Sergeant Michael Mitchell, Staff Sergeant Michael Moody, Sergeant John Hartman, Specialist Nicholaus Zimmer, First Lieutenant Kenneth Ballard, Specialist Michael Nixon, and Private First Class Brandon Boykin. Acknowledgments I would like to acknowledge the individuals who played pivotal roles in ensuring my successful academic endeavor, and in providing guidance and support. To Dr. Sharon Xuereb, my selfless and patient faculty chair, I am thankful for your time, depth of engagement, and words of encouragement and constant motivation during the dissertation process. To Dr. Susan Marcus, I cannot find the words to express my gratitude for your role as methodological expert. But for your willingness to join the committee, this journey would have never started. Your expertise and thoughtfulness, along with the insightful direction provided, were invaluable. I would also like to offer my sincere gratitude to Dr. Kristen Beyer and Dr. Eric Hickey for the professional mentorship and time invested in ensuring my success. To my father for exemplifying perseverance through the toughest of life’s trials and for instilling in me the diligence and ethics needed to be successful in life, I am humbled by your very existence. To my mother for providing the foundation of what a “mom” should be and for all you have become since August 23, 1973, I can only wish to emulate your shadow. To you both, I am honored to be your daughter. To my beautiful children, Lorelei and John Michael Nicholaus, thank you for your unending support, patience, and understanding. You have been my rock. To my sweet retired racehorse, Sir Cahill, thank you for carrying me through these past 4 years. Above all, I credit my Savior for the gift of academic wherewithal and the empowerment to act upon it. To Him goes the glory.