The experience of surviving trauma during active service can affect how veterans view their personal lives upon returning home. For some veterans, the experience may lead to an increased sense of urgency towards intimate relationships due to the fear that they might die without finding someone they love deeply. Others may become hesitant about getting too close to anyone out of fear that it could be taken away from them just like everything else. This phenomenon has been studied extensively by researchers who have found several factors that influence how veterans perceive intimacy and relational urgency. In this article, I will discuss these factors and explain why exposure to life-threatening events impacts veterans' temporal perception of intimacy and relational urgency. The term 'temporal perception' refers to one's understanding of time passing and the importance of each moment in relation to others. 'Relational urgency' is defined as feeling pressured or anxious about forming deep bonds with other people. These concepts are particularly important when it comes to relationships because they determine how quickly someone develops feelings for another person.
If someone has a high level of temporal awareness, they may be more likely to form strong bonds quickly while someone low in temporal awareness may take longer to feel comfortable enough to commit themselves emotionally.
Relational urgency can cause anxiety when entering new relationships, which can lead to avoidance behaviors that prevent connection altogether.
The combination of these two factors can create a unique situation wherein veterans struggle with intimacy and relationships after service.
Exposure to Life-Threatening Events: What Happens?
Exposure to traumatic events during active duty can have long-lasting effects on veterans' psychological health and wellbeing. Studies show that many veterans experience symptoms such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse problems, and suicidal ideation due to their experiences during deployment (Lang et al., 2019). This exposure can also affect their temporal perception and relational urgency towards intimate partners upon returning home. When a person feels threatened by danger, whether real or imagined, they enter a state known as 'fight or flight,' which involves heightened arousal and increased heart rate. This reaction prepares the body for action but can make it difficult to focus on anything else besides survival. In other words, people who experience life-threatening situations often prioritize staying alive over forming meaningful connections with others. This means that veterans may struggle to connect deeply with loved ones because they are constantly on edge about safety issues even when there is no imminent danger present.
How Does Temporal Perception Affect Relationships?
Temporal perception plays an essential role in how people perceive time passing and its importance relative to other aspects of life. Research suggests that those low in temporal awareness tend to view each moment as equally important while those high in temporal awareness see some moments as more significant than others (Fiske & Neuberg, 1997).
If you believe every day holds equal weight, then you might be less likely to feel rushed or pressured about certain tasks than someone who sees specific days as more crucial than others. The same principle applies to relationships; someone who is unaware of the passage of time may not feel anxious about missing out on opportunities while another might rush into relationships too quickly due to fear of losing them later down the line. As such, exposure to traumatic events during service could lead to changes in one's sense of urgency towards intimacy by altering their sense of timing and significance regarding future possibilities.
How Do Veterans React to Trauma?
Studies show that veterans exposed to traumatic events during active duty experience higher rates of relationship problems compared to their peers without similar experiences (Mills et al., 2018). Specifically, research has found that veterans often struggle with trust, communication skills, intimacy, conflict resolution, and commitment issues after returning home (Bolger et al., 2015). This difficulty stems from both biological factors (such as increased cortisol levels) and psychological ones (such as posttraumatic stress disorder), which affect how they perceive risk and approach relationships. As a result, many veterans report feeling detached from loved ones even though they want deep connections with them (Lee et al., 2016). These symptoms can last for years following deployment, making it difficult for veterans to form new bonds or maintain existing ones unless adequately treated through therapy and other interventions.
What Can We Learn From All This?
This article has discussed how exposure to life-threatening events influences veterans' temporal perception of intimacy and relational urgency upon return from active duty. The findings suggest that those who are high in temporal awareness may feel more anxious about missing out on opportunities while others low in temporal awareness may rush into relationships due to fears of losing them later down the line.
All veterans face difficulties forming meaningful connections because of their heightened anxiety levels after experiencing trauma. To address these challenges, there needs to be greater understanding between veterans and partners regarding each other's experiences during service so that both parties can work together towards healing rather than creating distance between one another.
Seeking professional help could prove beneficial in managing symptoms associated with PTSD and related conditions that might otherwise hinder healthy relationship development.
How does exposure to life-threatening events influence veterans' temporal perception of intimacy and relational urgency?
Research has shown that experiencing life-threatening events can have significant effects on individuals' time perception, which may extend to their interpersonal relationships. Veterans who have experienced traumatic combat situations are more likely to perceive time as moving faster than those who have not (Haber et al. , 2017). This means they may feel like they do not have enough time for intimate relationships or urgently need them.