About the Book

Whether intelligence contributes to sense of humour or not may be a point of academic debate and research, yet many leaders unfortunately suffer from an acute deficiency of sense of humour, while many who may not be considered as great military leaders, enjoy an innate, playful capacity for laughter with and among troops that they command. Is sense of humour a leadership trait or something that can be acquired or taught? While it may be argued that sense of humour maybe strengthened through intellectual effort, an appropriate measure of inborn temperament must be there or it is unlikely to be achieved at all. While virtually every leader sees the military value of a humorous perspective in releasing unwanted pressure while operating in demanding environments, not many seem assured as to how to cultivate a sense of humour. This book is a step in that direction as it looks at not only the ability to generate humour or take a humorous perspective on otherwise serious situations but also at appreciation of humour in the military. The chapters in the book are written by military psychologists, many of who themselves have been leaders in the military and hence makes the reading more interesting by providing a better understanding for military personnel to remove the inner obstacles which obstruct and prevent unfolding of humorous potential among those in uniform and recommend ways of overcoming an inability to see things in a lighter vein.

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Contents

1. An Introduction to Military Humour    

Samir Rawat, Ole Boe and Andrzej Piotrowski

Canada

2.  Laughter in the Ranks: Harnessing Humour to Strengthen Military Character 

Lobna Chérif

India and Iran

3. Letting Off Steam the Military Way: Use of Humour   

Gayatri Ahuja, Mahnaz Forouzan and Samir Rawat

India, Norway and Poland

4. Humour in the Army: Pleasure or Necessity?

Andrzej Piotrowski, Marcin Szulc, Gayatri Ahuja, Ole Boe and Samir Rawat

5. Humour as a Cohesive Glue in Military Culture              

Samir Rawat, Heina Aswal, Andrzej Piotrowski and Ole Boe

6. Finding Humour in the Military             

Samir Rawat, Ole Boe and Andrzej Piotrowski

7. Role of Humour in Reducing Soldier Stress in the Military         

Heina Aswal, Ole Boe, Andrzej Piotrowski, Samir Rawat and F. Antony Fernandes

8. Humour for Self-Regulation and Stress Buffering in the Military           

Ole Boe, Andrzej Piotrowski, Suryang Rawat, Gayatri Ahuja and Abhijit P. Deshpande

Norway

9. Humour as a Tool for Coping in the Norwegian Special               Forces and Elite Units   

Ole Boe, Asbjørn Lysgård and Glenn-Egil Torgersen

10 Does Humour Belong in the Military?: A Reflective Practice Approach with Stories from a Norwegian Military Educational Setting 

Johan Bergh

Poland

11. Generating Positive Emotions Through Humour          

Andrzej Piotrowski

Romania

12. The Psychology of Military Humour: A Romanian Perspective               

Cristian Dobre

Switzerland

13. Humour in Military Context  

Marianne Buchmann and Hubert Annen

USA

14. Positive Outcomes of Negative Humour: An Examination of Humour in the Military  

Jordan E. Swain, Jordan Terry T. and Bryan A. Williams

Conclusions

15. Integrative Conclusions to the Use of Humour in the Military

Ole Boe, Samir Rawat and Andrzej Piotrowski

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About the Author / Editor

Samir Rawat is a soldier’s soldier who was selected in the Army for his jocular wit and ebullient nature and sent to serve in Siachen Glacier to prove his sense of humour at an altitude of 21,000 ft in the highest battlefield in the world where, as a Cavalry officer, he commanded an Infantry rifle company to keep the men amused and adversary confused. He is an extrovert during the day and an introvert at night when he sleeps; once a keen athlete, he now runs out of patience, money, and time. Currently, he is masquerading as an eminent military psychologist and is also a visiting Professor of Psychology who strongly believes that nobody graduated by just reading his profile.

Ole Boe has almost 20 years of experience in the military as a soldier, officer, educator, and academic; he has developed a unique perspective on life and humor. Known for his dark, politically incorrect sense of humor, Ole shares this trait with his close friends, Samir and Andrzej, and it serves as a strong bond in their friendship. In a world where humor can easily offend, Ole has crafted his own humorous strategy for handling such situations. When someone expresses being offended by his humor, he calmly asks, "Do you want to borrow my phone?" When the person, typically puzzled, replies, "Why?" Ole’s response is: "Because then you can call someone who cares."

Andrzej Piotrowski is a researcher at the University of Gdańsk and at the Pomeranian University in Słupsk.. He takes up his position as a professor by mistake. What he fears most is that he will have to pay back the increased salary he receives of €20 per month before retiring. He competes in politically incorrect and black humour with Ole and suffers defeat with dignity, as he does every time during a joint Krav Maga showAndrzej counts his friendship with Samir and Ole among his key advantages. Others would brag about it and he just mentions it. Ole Boe among his key advantages. Others would brag about it and he just mentions it.

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