Psychological Route to War - Essay Example

The act of war is a decision with the ultimate consequence. With such magnitude that comes with the declaration of war, it becomes imperative to understand the political and historical context that comes with such a decision. "The constitution makes the President Commander in chief of the armed forces but requires that Congress appropriate all money for the military. The president appoints ambassadors, but the Senate must confirm them. The president can sign treaties, but they have no meaning unless the Senate, by a two-thirds vote, ratifies them.

Congress must 'declare' war, but the United States has often gone to war without any formal declaration. The reason is simple: America backs its fighting forces, and when they are put in harm's way, Congress pays their bills," (Wilson p.348). With such insurmountable risks at hand, the psychological reasoning behind resorting to a declaration of war to resolve conflict is an imperative idea to assess and analyze. To have one person be given the Godly role of placing people in a perilous situation, the psychology of what leads them there is tantalizing to contemplate.

Humans by nature find themselves at one point in their lives being in the position of having to make a decision that has ramifications of monumental proportion. Psychology Today writes that, "War is probably the second most popular activity with the human race," says psychologist Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D., author of the recently published book, The Psychology of War (Helios Press, 2002). "Making love," he concedes, "is the first." In his book, LeShan argues that war's popularity stems from its unique ability to resolve two major psychological needs.

It fulfills our sense of independence by assigning it a purpose, and it fulfills our need for community by establishing boundaries between 'us' and 'them,'" Adding that, "We say we love peace, but it doesn't actually excite us," says LeShan. "Even pacifists talk more about the horrors of war than the glories of peace." Battle generates perceptions so attractive that they can shift people from a rational perspective to one of "war mode," the idealized perception of crusading against evil. But as LeShan notes, After it's all over, you might have solved one problem, but you won't have solved all of them," (Allen p.1). Humans, as a sign of their nature, can find themselves letting their subconscious desires filter into the decision making capabilities of their logical mindset on the outside.

It is those unspoken desires which can lead the person into the most dangerous situations, with the direst of conclusions, or lead them into the most amazing of successes. In the end, as it comes down to it, the chips ultimately fall wherever they may and it is up to whomever is at the helm to make the important decisions with only their natural resolve, as well as the conviction of their psyches, to guide them as best as they see fit at the present time. To assess the psychological reasoning behind the act of declaring war, one must