The focus of this study is the American military
family. The primary purpose is to examine the family from
the paradigm of a distinct occupational subculture and,
substantiating that existence, to understand the
implications of work-family role conflict of the military
family. The objectives are to substantiate the military
as an occupational subculture and explore military work
and family conflict through participative observation
techniques and, to a lesser extent, thematic analysis.
The research questions are "Is the military an
occupational subculture?", and "How does the work-role of
the service member affect the family?"
A pilot survey instrument based on the seven tenets
of an occupational subculture (Trice, 1993) was developed
to ascertain the level of subcultural affiliation of the
respondents. In total, 78 members of the military (Army)
were interviewed using the instrument. Examination of
thematic responses from spousal surveys complement the
overall analysis.
The findings indicate a strong affiliation within the
Army that would support the supposition that the Army is
an occupational subculture. Respondents exhibited
affiliation with all seven tenets above the 75% level that
had been established as a benchmark. Taken together,
thematic analysis of spouse perceptions viewed through a
subcultural paradigm, and service members interviews,
converged to demonstrate the probability of the military
as a distinct occupational subculture. As such, the
military has the capability to influence members and their
families through infrastructure (both formal and
informal), social, and perceptive requirements.
Subcultural forces may provide powerful conformance tools
for the membership. Obvious implications for
acknowledging the uniqueness of the military family as a
distinct subculture within American society are important.
To retain a viable fighting force, Army family policy must
be responsive and understanding of the military family
entity. Preliminary results indicate that further
exploration of the military with a subcultural perspective
could enhance soldier readiness. Further studies should
focus on the military family as the primary support
mechanism for soldiers serving in the modern military.
Additional study on families leaving the military to a
civilian environment would provide insight into the
mechanics of subcultural transitions. / Graduation date: 1997
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/34368 |
| Date | 17 April 1995 |
| Creators | Gilbert, Thomas B. |
| Contributors | Olson, Geraldine |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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