Project Summary

Introduction

In our society, we are constantly facing different types of situations which comprises of much emotions. Being angry, sad or disappointed with peers, professors and project mates. It is very common for us to act rashly and having to face the consequences.

Army is an organisation which has very strong regimentation and is all about having discipline. To be Absent Without Leave (AWOL) is one of the most serious offence (Singapore Legal Advice, 2012) in the army.  Many men will result to AWOL as they could not handle the amount of stress and pressure placed on them during the 2 years of training to be a soldier.  They have to be away from their family and loved ones for most of the time of the week, only being able to see them during the weekends. Due to the lack of support through this tough time, they would feel mentally weak and decide to run away from the pressure that is upon them to seek comfort.

Problem Identification

Emotions are an aspect of our lives that we tend to have very little control over. They are volatile, they come and go as they please, and it is generally very difficult to not experience any sort of strong emotional response to external stimuli. Whether it is joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, emotions come in a variety of forms, and often play big parts in influencing our day to day decision making. Since emotions are something that is so difficult to properly control or predict, we intend to seek alternative ways to keep ourselves from acting out based on these emotions instead.

A particular cadet has to choose between his immediate desire to attend the funeral of his Aunt, or to be a professional soldier to stay through his training course. On one hand, is an Aunt that has taken care of him since young, seeing him through his rebellious teenage years, and now becoming his support to endure National Service (NS). On the other hand, he was specially appointed by his superior to have a chance to become an officer, and he was already in his last week of training before he graduates from the course and becomes an officer.

Objective of Study

Our purpose of this study is to understand the tremendous stress anyone could experience from various aspect of their lives. These stress that they face may either be from high performance expectation from their higher ups or even in their personal lives.  Therefore, we aim to help resolve problems of people through understanding their own mind-sets and responses. From there, we will be able to give them advice on what they could do to prevent them from making rash and irrational decision which they could regret.

Data Collection/ Research Method

There are two separate lines of research.

The primary research obtains real life data on males who have completed NS and are of 25 years old and below.  The data pertains to men who have/had issues with emotional control. The purpose of this is to determine how and when people may made rash decisions in the past which they now regret.

The secondary source of research conducted is based on research papers and other educational sources published on the internet. The focused on finding out advice which helps people decide how they should act on said emotions and prevent themselves from going overboard.

Potential Solution / Implementation for Problem Solution

Our proposed solution involves the theory of the 6 Seconds Model of “Know Yourself, Choose Yourself, Give Yourself” (Freedman, 2010).

The Six Seconds model would serve as a guide for NS men to turn emotional intelligence theory into practice. The model aims for one to become more aware (noticing what you do), more intentional (doing what you mean), and more purposeful (doing it for a reason).

Through this, they will be able to adapt, organize their thoughts and ensure that they do not lose control. It help them when they are in high stress situations to suppress their emotions and gain control of their minds which will prevent negative effects from rash decisions.

This 6 Seconds Model can be implemented by teaching the NS men on what the model is. This is because not many of us would be well-versed with the model. By teaching what the model is, they will then be able to put it into use once they have understood the framework.

How can it be taught to the NS men? While doing Basic Military Training (BMT) during the first 3 months of their service to the nation, the Officers could conduct lessons for the men to better prepare them for the challenges that they will face throughout their full 2 years of NS.

However, this does not solve the problem. When NS men enter the army, they would be aged 18 and above. These men would have already developed a rigid thinking. Therefore, for the 6 seconds model to be more effective, the men should be taught while at a young age while their emotional thinking are still developing. To educate them at a young age, the Ministry of Education (MOE) could add in lessons regarding mental development into the curriculum of the primary/ secondary school, just like how Sexual Education (SexEd) was taught. If the men were to learn about the 6 Seconds Model since they were a child, they would be well-versed with how to use this framework and be able to implement it when they enter NS or even the workforce. 

Concluding Thoughts

When a conflict ensues which triggers strong emotional responses, the best thing to do is to simply not act. This is because one cannot think straight under influence of strong emotions, meaning the best thing to do is to calm down and allow the turbulent emotions to recede. After all, the best way to ensure one does nothing harmful is to do nothing at all. Take the time to cool down, relax, and generally gather one’s thoughts, and instead of taking a hasty action when one is emotionally overwhelmed, come back later.

After one has calmed down, one will then be able to perceive and analyse the situation from a more objective perspective. This is crucial, as emotional discord will cause one to become biased and adopt subjective viewpoints when tackling problems, which results in one overlooking information or refusing to accept explanations. Since information is the root of resolving all conflicts and problems, blocking oneself from properly analysing and deriving said information greatly restricts one’s capacity to resolve a conflict. Obtaining this information can only be properly done if emotions are no longer part of the equation, allowing objective and logical analysis. Once that is done, one can effectively form a plan to resolve said conflict.

References:

Freedman, J. (2010, January 27). The six seconds model of emotional intelligence: EQ in action. Retrieved July 21, 2017, from http://www.6seconds.org/2010/01/27/the-six-seconds-eq-model/ 

Singapore Legal Advice (2012, October 16). Military law and how it affects every singaporean son. Retrieved August 13, 2017, from https://singaporelegaladvice.com/law-articles/military-law-and-how-it-affects-every-singaporean-son/ 

(edited on 13 August 2017)