Shell Shock and Other Psychological Traumas from World Wars I and II

World Wars I and II Paper
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World Wars I and II Paper
The term “shell shock” was developed by Myers (1873-1946) due to his first-hand encounters with soldiers evacuated from the frontline, including those who were caught in No Man’s Land and were subjected to bombardment with many shells without being directly injured. The military perceived the condition as lunacy or cowardice. Myers noted that shattering noise due to explosions and shells physically affected the soldiers, causing shell shock manifestations causing “an invisible fine molecular commotion in the brain” (Howard & Howard, 2021). He later realized that direct trauma proved an inadequate explanation for the illness, mainly because men who were not on the frontline also recorded acute manifestations while others gradually developed mental disturbances. As a result, the term “shell shock” expanded to include those who were not near the bombardments but had dreadful experiences and witnessed distressing sights. The soldiers’ major symptom...