Publication Date

1970

Abstract

The project was developed with the intent of determining the psychological effects of the draft upon male college students. With this purpose in mind , an instrument was designed to uncover as well as possible these effects upon a sampling of male undergraduates on selected campuses in the South and Midwest. Feelings toward the draft at this point in time were hypothesized to be almost inseparably intertwined with feelings toward the conflict in Vietnam , so this correlation was prominent in the wording of the instrument . Due to limitations in time and manpower , the instrument had to be written and rather brief . For this reason , primarily , it is to be taken only as a preliminary base study of the problem. A follow-up study, utilizing depth-interview technique is advised . This study centers on opinion and reveals psychological disturbances linked to the Selective Service System on only a superficial level . Frustration in planning and developing a lifestyle, anxiety over the future , and alienation from the systems and persons responsible for this institution , are definitely revealed to exist and to be quite prevalent , but the document was not intended or designed to provide a measure of their incidence , intensity, or the primacy of the draft as a causal agent . It is hoped that the findings of this study will provide a statistical base of opinion which will enable measurements of the psychological effects of the draft to be undertaken.

Disciplines

Sociology

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