Romero, Rachel (2012-05). The Disconnected Body: An Examination of the U.S Military System and Its Neglect of Expressive Functions. Doctoral Dissertation.
Thesis
This dissertation explores the systematic negligence of expressive functions in current United States Military System (USMS) practices. I draw from classical sociological theory and employ the Parsonian understanding of "expressive" versus "instrumental" social functions, to illustrate the U.S. military's abandonment of procedures that tend to the emotional needs of the group and individual soldiers. I expand beyond Talcott Parsons' understanding of the "symbolic/expressive" pattern variable, and engage this idea to discuss a variety of affective principles including leadership support, group cooperation, social cohesion, loyalty and trust, emotional stability, and reverence towards rituals. Subsequently, I wed these elaborations of pattern variables to principles which generally are coded as maternal and feminine. The main argument of this work is the following; social functions that typically are considered "feminine," "motherly," "emotional" are not characteristically valued in modern worldviews, although these functions are critically significant for the overall well-being of society. As a result, an overemphasis of the ideal types instrumental functions, "masculinity," "efficiency," and "rationality" monopolize today's most influential social institutions, including the military. The deficiency of balance between expressive and instrumental functions results in various forms of deviance and anomie; including war crimes.
