Many, if not most, veterans of war are extremely cautious and reluctant to start war or endorse war. Why is John McCain so pro-war? After thinking about this a lot, I want to share my admittedly non-professional psychological analysis of John McCain that I hope may shed light on his pro-war stance. Comments by accredited professionals are welcome.
I will start by saying that I honor John McCain's military service and stand in awe of what he went through. Nonetheless, experiences in war cause psychological effects for the warrior, such as PTSD, and we are now looking at a candidate for President, not just a war hero, so we must look at his psychological health, as well as physical health, for holding the highest office in the land.
First of all, McCain's fighting was done in the sky, in planes, where he did not have the "kill or be killed" experience of an average soldier on the ground. So his crucial war experience, lasting several years, consisted of being a prisoner of war, experiencing imprisonment and torture. I believe that experience differs fundamentally from the experience of combat on the ground which tends to make the veteran of combat so reluctant to send others to war.
I suggest that his experience more closely resembles that of a holocaust victim. Knowing a holocaust survivor personally, I have seen the psychological effects of that experience in the survivor I know.
I believe that when an individual is not in control of his life, and others control (often in a sadistic manner) what he can do, cannot do, whether he is without pain or suffering the pain of torture or its after-effects, or even whether he can live or die, the prisoner can respond to his utter helplessness in specific ways.
One response is developing obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in an effort to control small things around him because he cannot control the larger aspects of his life. He can emerge from the prisoner experience with an absolute need to feel he is in control of his life's situations, a need which may extend to the control of others around him. If others do not accede to his wishes or opinions, his perception of losing control over the situation can cause a deep-seated anger to erupt, an emotion that is really in response to his past helplessness. I have seen this personality trait in the Holocaust survivor I know.
John McCain is famous for his anger. I believe that his "short-fuse" anger may be a psychological reaction to his POW experience. Again, I have the highest respect for someone who has gone through the experiences he went through in service to our country, but at the same time I believe we need to understand how these experiences may affect his ability to react properly to the difficult situations faced as President of the United States.
Is John McCain's strong pro-war stance ("I'm sorry to tell you, there's going to be other wars.") in foreign affairs related to what I see as a psychological need to control situations as well as a deep-seated anger from feeling helpless against others' aggression? It might feel empowering to advocate war and aggression when previously one could do nothing. All his reasons for war may not be clear, at least to me, but I personally believe that short-fuse anger is not an appropriate trait in a President of today's world.
I think Americans have the right to look into the psychological health, as well as physical health, of any candidate for President, especially in the dangerous times we live in. I submit these thoughts as my contribution to this issue.