Loss is an unfortunate part of life that comes up when least expected. It can come in various forms such as losing loved ones, pets, jobs, health, etc.
The most devastating form of loss is war loss where people lose their lives, limbs, and relationships. During war, soldiers are likely to lose their friends, colleagues, comrades, and even lovers either through death or permanent disability. This often affects them psychologically, which has a tremendous impact on their future relationships. The following article explains how the experience of loss during combat shapes soldiers' approach towards future relationships.
The loss of loved ones during war is one of the major factors that shape soldiers' approach to future relationships. When soldiers lose their loved ones during war, it is traumatizing and painful. They may feel like they have lost everything, including their hope for the future. In addition, they become distant from other people who remind them of their loss. This is because they fear losing more loved ones. Therefore, soldiers tend to remain isolated from others, especially those in love relationships. Such soldiers find it difficult to build new relationships since they have a lot of wounds and memories about their past relationships.
If a soldier loses his wife, he might be reluctant to get into another relationship since he feels he will not be able to give enough love to his partner due to previous hurts. As such, they avoid any risk of falling in love again.
Many soldiers go through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after war experiences. PTSD makes them suffer from flashbacks, nightmares, and anxiety attacks. This can make it difficult to maintain healthy relationships with anyone around them. They fear opening up to someone else about their life and experiencing any form of intimacy. These soldiers are likely to avoid future relationships and prefer solitude to avoid causing further harm to themselves and their partners.
Another factor that affects soldiers' approach to future relationships is when they lose body parts or limbs during war. Losing a limb or part of the body affects how they interact with their partners sexually. It often leads to low self-esteem, which affects their confidence levels. Soldiers who lose their limbs cannot engage in sexual activities as before. Lack of confidence causes them to withdraw from their partners or even push them away. Most of these soldiers feel ashamed, dirty, and unworthy of being loved because of what happened. Their emotional scars cause deep feelings of shame, resulting in their isolation.
Some soldiers lose comrades during combat, leading to permanent loneliness. In most cases, they develop a sense of guilt for surviving while others died fighting the same battle. The trauma associated with losing comrades at war is severe since they had fought together and felt like brothers or sisters. When one dies, the other feels responsible for leaving him/her behind.
Such soldiers may feel guilty for not doing enough to save their colleagues' lives. As such, they become distant from their partners and family members due to their perceived failure. As a result, they find it hard to maintain positive and sustainable relationships.
Loss during war shapes soldiers' approach towards future relationships by making them avoid getting into new relationships due to fear of losing more people, developing PTSD, feeling less confident in bed, and experiencing permanent loneliness. Therefore, soldiers must receive counseling after their return to civilian life to help them overcome their losses and improve their social interactions.
How does the experience of loss during combat shape soldiers' approach to future relationships?
The experience of loss during combat shapes soldiers' approach to future relationships by causing them to develop heightened anxiety about death, increased caution when building intimacy with others, and a desire for control over their personal lives. These factors can lead to difficulties in romantic and familial relationships, as well as feelings of disconnection from society at large.