Human Factors in Transition

"Change is situational. Transition, on the other hand, is psychological. It is not those events, but rather the inner reorientation or self-redefinition that you have to go through in order to incorporate any of those changes into your life. Without a transition, a change is just a rearrangement of the furniture. Unless transition happens, the change won't work, because it doesn't take." William Bridges

The Positive Transition journey continues and there is a building out of the stakeholder environment as we socialise the concept demonstrator with people in the community. Part of this journey is much about how we support people make the full transition not purely from a practical and physical perspective, but from mental, psychological and socio-psychological perspectives as well.

The Army have a great document that is downloadable, the “Emotional Pathway” (https://www.army.mod.uk/umbraco/Surface/Download/Get/4373) supporting people in the emotional journey. This provides the forewarning around the softer aspects and prospective impacts of transition and forewarned is forearmed. (Image courtesy of MoD website).

From personal experience and also from the multiple conversations I have had with the people I have supported and mentored through the process, there is also an issue of self-identification. Bear with me on this, as I need to take a step back.

In the military, our self-identification is very much anchored in the Core Values (for the Army - Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty, Selfless Commitment) instilled in us in Basic Training and reinforced throughout the career however short. It is also anchored in our uniforms. Think about it, we advertise who we are with an overt display of rank, role, service, branch or regiment, courses done, qualifications achieved. Without someone opening their mouth, we already know so much about them and have some conversation points that enable us to engage and establish positions. When we move into civilian life, despite our confidence and self-assurance, we have to open our mouths, communicate and introduce ourselves to establish our position. It is a very new environment, and this can be somewhat unsettling.

Our self-identification is grounded in all that is military about us and on departure from this environment, we have to switch almost immediately to a new paradigm. It is my conviction that one of the primary tenets instilled in the Military – Adapt, Improvise, Overcome – is supportive in readjusting to the new-normal. Nevertheless, if there are additional tools and techniques that we can find, then, all helps in expediting the adjustment.

As our self is very much embedded in our military persona, upon leaving, we need to re-identify and no job, role or career completely fulfils this requirement in and of itself. We therefore need to find other aspects of our life to anchor this self-recognition and bring together a composite understanding of ourselves in our new world. The measure of each specific element does not really matter, but feeling a sense of fulfilment is essential to making the full mind transition, as identified in the quote from William Bridges:

“It is … the inner reorientation or self-redefinition that you have to go through to fully incorporate those changes into your life.”

Redefinition in the Military Transition can include the incorporation of our identifying as a composite of the following to differing degrees:

·     Wife, Husband or partner

·     Mother, Father or guardian

·     Daughter, son or carer

·     Work role

·     Volunteer

·     Wider family member

·     Sport or Hobby

·     Interest

The composite “us” is achievable with an awareness of the mindset change that needs to be made, and transitioning completely can serve to be more fulfilling as rewards are the returns we get in being able to commit more of ourselves to the people and things that we love.

This transition aspect can often lead to the need to re-identify Core Values, and this is the subject of future article.

In closing, we now wrestle with the way we, Positive Transition, as an organisation, can support people with the provision of digital tools to facilitate the assimilation of the techniques.

If you would like to know more, then please email us at [email protected].