Page 119 - 2022 Spring JSOM

FIGURE 1 Conceptual depiction of psychological services across preparation for deployment, lethal confrontation with adver-
HPO capability spectrum. saries, strategy-oriented peacekeeping operations directed at
global health and environmental threats to US national security
interests, and redeployment back home. It provides a contex-
tualized way to teach mental skills to facilitate acquisition in
high-risk occupations in which new tasks must be learned and
executed under demanding conditions. The impact of mental
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and resiliency skill training components on performance and
behavioral health issues, respectively, has been studied to date,
and more rigorous randomized and controlled studies are
needed to show direct benefits to performance and well-being
outcomes. 23,24 Additionally, although the core cognitive men-
tal skills support optimal functioning in uniform, those same
skills can also be translated to help sustain an optimal state of
well-being for life outside and beyond the uniform.
Finally, the inclusion of performance psychology practice
offers a culturally appropriate and occupationally grounded
HPO = human performance optimization, CT = core task, MET = approach to shifting illness-oriented paradigms around men-
mission essential tasks.
tal health. Despite efforts to broaden and socialize mental
high stress, prevent or mitigate psychological and physical in- health supports in the military, stigma remains a significant
jury, and reduce vulnerabilities and risk to performance ca- issue. Whereas direct empirical links between stigma and
pabilities under operational extremes. Despite advances in outcomes such as treatment-seeking attitudes and intentions
psychological service delivery, psychological status and func- remain unclear, the DoD remains committed to seeking effec-
tioning are still largely determined by the absence of pathology. tive ways to reduce mental health stigma. Reducing stigma
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This paradigm assumes that if Servicemembers remain free of at the individual level is one of many important approaches
diagnosable illnesses and problematic behavioral issues, they to understanding and subsequently breaking down barriers
are psychologically fit. However, fitness for duty only reflects to mental health care, but environmental and contextual ap-
a state of modal readiness to participate in the fight. proaches must also be explored to enable systematic change
and address stigma more comprehensively. Performance psy-
Optimal functioning should be defined by capabilities that chology delivery models can play a role in reducing stigma and
exceed baseline performance standards, measured by perfor- counteracting misleading perceptions about seeking assistance
mance-based, non-clinical metrics, and related to job perfor- only when managing overwhelming problems. Contempo-
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mance metrics. In practice, performance psychology focuses rary performance psychology exists at the crossroads of sport
on bolstering psychological aspects of achievement in a social and human performance science and “warfighter ideology.”
environment that values normative comparisons of success Although sport and consulting psychology practitioners ap-
and in which failure to perform to standard is detrimental to ply psychology to improve performance, warfighter ideology
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their professional and personal lifestyle. The specific role of reflects a spirit to fight and win against an adversary. It thus
performance psychology is to enhance an individual’s ability promotes operational support of warfighters and those work-
and maintain a baseline of competence, efficiency, and re- ing in concerted efforts in defense of US national interests. 26
peatability of the CT associated with their OS. It should also
improve their ability to navigate the complex and dynamic Advancing Performance Psychology
social environments of a specific team. Attendees at the 2018
Consortium for Health and Military Performance and Wal- Service Delivery
ter Reed Army Institute of Research Performance Psychology The broader field of applied sport and performance psychol-
Summit collectively defined performance psychology as: “the ogy is still striving toward definitional clarity and a shared
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contribution of psychological factors to the execution of phys- understanding of the profession. Despite the well-intentioned
ical and cognitive actions by the human body to the greatest and promising goals of applied performance psychology in the
degree attainable under specified conditions and objectives.” military setting, lessons learned from past efforts need to be
Applications of performance psychology have the potential to applied to evolve service delivery to meet the modern demands
increase Servicemember capabilities. of the military. In this section, we offer a set of recommenda-
tions grounded in existing best practices that may help meet
Performance optimization approaches center around the train- this goal: (1) integrating a holistic performance framework;
ing of mental skills, including goal-setting, emotion regula- (2) shifting toward embedded and precision applications of
tion, and mental rehearsal and imagery. These mental skills, performance psychology; (3) evolving training beyond the
grounded in cognitive-behavioral approaches, not only en- classroom setting to more relevant operational contexts; and
hance, sustain, or restore performance, but also bolster over- (4) broadening focus to a systems emphasis.
all psychological resilience and build on protective factors.
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Performance psychology, with its emphasis on optimizing Integrating a Holistic Performance Framework
performance of occupation CTs, encourages discussion and The DoD continues to emphasize TFF framework and HPO
introspection about the role of psychological factors in every model (CJCSI 3405.01) as a “methodology for understand-
stage of a Servicemember’s lifecycle. Performance psychology ing, assessing, and maintaining warfighter well-being and
can be applied to enhance capabilities throughout a Service- sustaining their ability to carry out missions” and applied per-
member’s career, including during initial military training, formance psychology should be viewed as one component of

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