Intelligence and Morale in the Army of a Democracy: The Genesis of Military Psychology During the First World War

Abstract

Much has been written about the introduction of intelligence testing during the First World War when civilian psychologists convinced the Army to experiment with its selection and classification procedures. Many Army officers remained skeptical of intelligence testing, fearing the infringement of civilian hobbyists into their area of expertise. Intelligence testing, however, was only one facet of the evolving military psychology movement. The celebration of the 100th anniversary of the American Psychological Association is perhaps an appropriate time to reevaluate the broad agenda these pioneering military psychologists set for themselves in studying problems relating to the psychology of the soldier. Psychologists in the newly created Morale Division, for example, initiated rudimentary studies on issues that would become staples of 20th-century military psychology, such as the adjustment of recruits to Army life, the effectiveness of Army propaganda in changing attitudes, the reasons soldiers desert, and the impact of military service on civilian soldiers. By encouraging military policymakers to consider the importance of soldier psychology in a mass army, the Morale Division introduced a new and somewhat controversial perspective into the organization. Consequently, plans to develop soldier mo- rale were integral to the interwar mobilization plans prepared by the Army War College, considerations notably absent in 1917.

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