The Mindset of War

In war, do our minds find peace?

By Colin Allen, published on October 01, 2002

It's impossible to avoid; talk of war with Iraq has been front-page news for months, and it's showing no signs of relinquishing its headlining position any time soon. Other international and even national news may slip by unnoticed, but war—in Iraq or elsewhere—is here to stay.

"War is probably the second most popular activity with the human race," says psychologist Lawrence LeShan, Ph.D., author of the recently published book, The Psychology of War (Helios Press, 2002). "Making love," he concedes, "is the first." In his book, LeShan argues that war's popularity stems from its unique ability to resolve two major psychological needs. It fulfills our sense of independence by assigning it a purpose, and it fulfills our need for community by establishing boundaries between "us" and "them."

"We say we love peace, but it doesn't actually excite us," says LeShan. "Even pacifists talk more about the horrors of war than the glories of peace." Battle generates perceptions so attractive that they can shift people from a rational perspective to one of "war mode," the idealized perception of crusading against evil. But as LeShan notes, "After it's all over, you might have solved one problem, but you won't have solved all of them."

As to war with Iraq, LeShan supports President Bush's call for a regime change, even if it brings with it other difficulties. "Bush is doing it for the wrong reasons," he asserts, "but I think that he is doing the right thing."