Has your military identity persisted after Service? What identity research can teach us about the transition from military to civilian life

A new research paper by Jan Grimell, Umeå University, Sweden [1], reports on the important findings of a novel 10-year longitudinal interview study focused on understanding the role of military identity in transition to civilian life post-Service among Swedish ex-Service personnel. This Research Spotlight provides a summary of this recent research paper, but you can also read the full report here. 

Military Service entails an intense form of learning military values, norms, meanings, practices, and skills—components that together can be described as military culture. While military cultures may vary in content, they often share overarching characteristics such as strict hierarchy, rank structures, obedience, discipline, uniforms, combat, killing, strong camaraderie, loyalty, a higher purpose, meaning, self-sacrifice, physical and mental endurance, strength, achievement, mission focus, and an environment that is often male-dominated and coded as masculine [2].

Within this culture, robust military identities are formed. These identities are systematically and methodically built to be highly resilient. Especially in the most extreme and chaotic situations, they must function to accomplish the tasks assigned to units and personnel [3].

Despite the vast military resources invested in developing these identities over long periods—and further reinforcing them through Service and deployments—very few resources are dedicated to understanding and reconstructing military identity during the transition to civilian life. From an identity perspective, this can be seen as an asymmetrical resource issue [4].

Is there really anyone who believes that such a robust military identity can simply step back and disappear into the shadows of the self?

Findings from a ten-year identity study on the transition from military to civilian life

In 2013, a research project was launched to investigate how Swedish ex-Service members managed and renegotiated their identities—i.e., their stories of who they are—during the transition from military to civilian life. At the time, there was very limited research and understanding of this process from an identity perspective. The project aimed to follow the identity process over an extended period (10 years) to gain a deeper understanding of how it affects former Service members [5].  

The concept of military identity

Military identity is an analytical concept that serves as a collective term for military values, meanings, practices, skills, and experiences that are expressed in the narrative of who one is as a military professional [6].

Regardless of whether participants had left the Armed Forces, their former or current identity as an individual within the Armed Forces regardless of branch is referred to using the generic and inclusive term military identity. The use of military identity in this study has always been deliberate and bottom-up since military identity and mindset stem from military culture, education, training, and deployments (if any). A military identity does not fade or disintegrate—it has remained a salient identity among the participants throughout the study’s interviews [1].

Longitudinal design

In 2013, 20 participants took part in the first interview cycle, which was conducted annually until 2016. By the end of the third cycle, 19 participants remained [5].

In 2023, a fourth interview cycle was conducted with 16 of the original participants. Three participants from the last cycle were missing: one declined to participate, one could not be located, and one had passed away in the intervening years [1].

Sample

The sample included Service members with various backgrounds in terms of age, gender, rank, branches (Army, Air Force, Navy), deployments, and years of Service. The majority of participants were between 25 and 35 years old at the time of the first interview cycle. Four participants were around 60 years old and transitioning to retirement, and three were female. All were ten years older by the fourth interview cycle [1].

The study’s inclusion criterion was a minimum of two years of Service, though most had served for more than five years, and participants had to be in the process of leaving their military employment or have left no more than two years prior. None of the participants had any lasting clinical issues at the time of the first interview and could be considered a relatively normal sample from a health perspective [5].

The first years of transition: Key findings

Intense identity work

Given the longitudinal design, there is a vast amount of material available for those wishing to explore the topic further [1].

The first period of transition—roughly one to two years—was characterized by intense internal identity dialogue among participants, as well as external identity work in which they had to practice presenting themselves to the civilian world with an entirely different cultural framework and understanding—as something other than an active member of the Armed Forces [5].

This period was marked by the following identity work:

• Asymmetry between military and civilian identities, where military identity maintained a dominant position in the self, and experiences continued to be filtered through a military lens.
• A clear sense of a military “me.”
• Adjustment problems due to cultural friction in new settings.
• A slow process of reconstructing a new meaningful civilian identity.
• Difficulties in finding meaning and motivation in civilian life, making it hard to redefine their future civilian self.
• Loss of extraordinary community and camaraderie.
• A dichotomy between military and civilian worlds and relationships.

Over time, participants’ identity work led them down different transitional paths, as the transition process was not linear. A small group abandoned the transition and returned to full active duty [7], the majority chose a hybrid path with intermittent military Service [8], while the next largest group followed a linear transitional path [9]. This also reflected how their identities developed across time:

• Some fully committed to a military identity (full return).
• The majority had to navigate military-civilian hybrid identities, which allowed them to maintain their military identity alongside new civilian identities. However, this also created more friction in relation to themselves and their civilian lives.
• The last group allowed new civilian identities to take precedence while the military identity faded into the background. Several of them cut ties with the military entirely, as it was the simplest solution.

The loss of existential gravitation

Several factors influenced participants’ identity work. Naturally, when leaving a job, one must secure new employment and income. However, the most significant factor in the process was the existential dimension—the feeling of losing meaning, purpose, direction, community, and identity in life [10, 11, 12, 13].

These aspects must be considered in relation to the ability to find new civilian identities that offer the same magnitude of meaning as what was lost [6]. Meaning, purpose, community, camaraderie, and identity in a military context can, in the language of sociology of religion, be described as implicitly religious due to the profound nature of their significance [14].

Ten years after the first interview cycle: Key findings

By 2023, ten years after the first interview cycle, the participants had become deeply established in their personal lives. The vast majority had bought houses, married, had children, or were in the process of doing so. Many were relatively new parents, which occupied much of their time and led to father/mother identity construction—new meaningful identities had taken shape [1].

Militarization at a societal level dialogue with the military identity of the self

However, in 2022, Russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine led to a dramatic shift in Sweden. The country was undergoing massive rearmament and a historic shift toward NATO membership. Suddenly, civilian sectors were calling for personnel with military expertise to contribute to national defense. This societal shift significantly impacted participants’ identity work.

Due to the changing situation, participants in the hybrid group had shifted in the job market from all-civilian jobs (with no military components) toward roles in preparedness and security, total defense planning, and military-related assignments at civilian agencies and employers. Many also maintained a connection to the Armed Forces as instructors or reserve officers. The group that fully “returned” to the military had grown, while the group that followed a linear path—engaging exclusively in civilian work (or full retirement and pension) with no formal ties to the Armed Forces—had decreased.

One could say that the general militarization of society had elevated the perception of military expertise and identity. This, in turn, positively influenced how participants viewed their military experience and background, its societal value, and the significance of their military identities. This broader societal process can be seen as contributing to a re-militarization of their sense of self [1].

The return of military morality among the participants

As many participants’ military identities had become more salient in their lives—compared to the third interview cycle—their articulated military view of right and wrong had also grown stronger. This moral framework was closely linked to the military mindset and work ethic. While participants had previously problematized and suppressed their military morality upon transitioning to civilian life—reflecting how civilian society perceived the military at the time—this was no longer the case. Even though many were civilians employed by civilian organizations, they no longer felt the need to downplay their military values. Instead, they became more outspoken in their critique of civilian work culture and ethics, feeling increasingly confident that their military moral code and work ethic were far superior [1].

Society, identity, and self are deeply intertwined

Understanding of how identity work evolved during the fourth interview cycle is shaped by five interconnected factors at global, societal, group, and individual levels.

• First, Ukraine’s full-scale war meant that war itself had been politically and media-wise reintroduced as a central narrative and focus area for the general public in Europe.
• Second, Swedish society had radically changed its view on the military, significantly upgrading the value of military competence and expertise.
• Third, many participants had spent about ten years in civilian work settings, gaining a deeper understanding of what actually functions in the workplace.
• Fourth, the tasks in civilian work roles were similar to or resonated with those performed during active Service, which amplified military morale among the participants and made it imperative to remain consistent with a military work ethic.
• Lastly, the nature of military identity itself—cultivated to be dominant and resilient to ensure mission success—played a crucial role, especially as it was reinforced by global, societal, and employment-related factors.

When the project began in 2013, the dominant paradigm in Sweden was still shaped by the Afghanistan deployment era. At that time, hardly any of these aspects were at play, except possibly the nature of military identity [1]. However, when the surrounding society is very distant from the military, this tends to influence the perception of the military aspect of the self [2].

A longitudinal health perspective tailored to military identity

During the fourth interview cycle in 2023, some participants had experienced burnout due to the military work ethic and morality, which clearly represents a downside of mission focus. One participant exhibited PTSD symptoms but had not yet undergone a clinical assessment.

Thus, the participants’ health had significantly changed over the ten years that had passed. This had a profound impact on their narratives about who they were—for instance, when someone had to completely abandon their former identity as a person who always completed tasks and delivered results, in order to construct an entirely new story about themselves [1].

You can take a person out of the military, but you can’t take the military out of the person

This collective research on identity among Swedish ex-Service members suggests that the military identity sticks to the self, shaping one’s mindset, perception, and interpretation of events, situations, and the world in various ways. It cannot simply be washed away or erased—it remains present. This military identity is influenced by the surrounding society and often stands in cultural contrast to civilian life, shaping perceptions and thoughts about the value of the military, including its identity, in such a context [2]. The ability to navigate a military identity in civilian life and engage in dialogue with culturally contrasting identities of the self is shaped by multiple factors, including societal attitudes toward the military, emotions, the internal dialogical climate, and the sense of meaning, purpose, and direction in life that align with identities emerging from civilian life [5].

Translating a military identity into a new cultural context

Because military and civilian cultures are so distinct—each fostering vastly different identities—an identity perspective is crucial for understanding the challenges of transitioning from military to civilian life in both the short and long-term. At the same time, it is important to recognize the immense potential of a military identity. Traits such as work ethic, discipline, loyalty, mission focus, problem-solving, and physical and psychological endurance can be highly valuable when culturally reframed or when society explicitly demands military expertise. Despite cultural differences, a military identity can function as a powerful tool in a civilian context.

The warrior mask

A very important observation from this, and many other studies with ex-Service members as well, was that none of the participants spoke with their relatives or anyone else about their intense identity work during the transition. They kept their thoughts and feelings to themselves and testified that the annual recurring interviews were something that was very helpful for reflecting on, sorting, and putting words to their experiences [5].

A strength—but also a potential downside—is that a military identity can also be understood as a warrior mask, with identity markers such as secrecy, stoicism, and denial. While these traits are absolutely necessary for Service members when carrying out life-or-death missions during deployments, they may function sub-optimally in civilian life, particularly in terms of personal health and relationships. Not everything can be endured stoically through sheer strength—some things require seeking medical care. Likewise, secrecy and denial are not always beneficial in relationships; instead, they may require significant levels of transparency, openness, and honesty, especially when it comes to health-related matters, emotions, and thoughts [4].

Identity is connected to health

Finally, an identity perspective is also key to understanding the various dimensions of declining mental health, which may be diagnosed as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or interpreted as Moral Injury [16]. While the longitudinal identity study presented here focused on participants who were clinically well—whose health was primarily affected by the identity work that transitions naturally generate, such as loss, grief, longing, fatigue, re-orientation, and the search for meaning, purpose, and identity renewal—other parts of Jan’s research highlight the critical role of identity work in understanding the impact of PTSD [3] and Moral Injury [15].

Future Research

Research on the identities of military personnel and ex-military personnel is still a small field. The need for continued research is significant, including both systematic reviews and qualitative designs that can also be used quantitatively. Longitudinal approaches are extremely rare, making them particularly important to pursue in order to understand, from a lifelong perspective, how military identities affect ex-military personnel.

Policy Recommendations to Support Transition to Civilian Life

• Compile research on identity processes during transition into a popular science format to inform military personnel and their families well in advance of their transition. Ensure that both Service members and their families gain knowledge about the identity aspect of transition. This could include reading materials, a podcast special, and short recorded lectures available on internal platforms.
• Organize small-group settings where ex-military personnel are given the opportunity to discuss their transition experiences from an identity perspective with a facilitator experienced in identity and transition processes. This should take place sometime into the transition—not in the first few weeks, but perhaps after 4–6 months—when the initial "warrior mask" has loosened its grip on the individual, and new cultural impressions have had time to be processed.
• Do not forget former ex-Service members! They and their families would also appreciate information and materials on military identities and identity processes. Such information might provide important interpretive tools that create new understandings of the self, relationships, and life.
• Both the Armed Forces and ex-military NGOs can play an important role together in an information and support process from an identity perspective. At times, NGOs can be quicker to recognize emerging perspectives and implement them in their work, which in the long run may contribute to policy development within the Armed Forces and the state’s Veteran support framework.

Thank you Jan Grimell for writing this Research Spotlight.

You can access the full article here.

References:

[1] Grimell, J. (2024). You can take a person out of the military, but you can’t take the military out of the person: findings from a ten-year identity study on transition from military to civilian life. Frontiers in Sociology, Medical Sociology, 9, 1-13. Available at: (link)

[2] Grimell, J. (2023). A symbolic interactionist perspective on the divide within the veteran self. Journal of Veteran Studies, 9(1), 46-59. Available at: (link)

[3] Grimell, J. (2022). The invisible wounded warriors in a nation at peace: An interview study on the lives of Swedish veterans of foreign conflicts and their experiences with PTSD, moral injuries, and military identities. Zürich: Lit Verlag. Available at: (link)

[4] Grimell, J. (2024). The mask of the warrior: unraveling deep-seated health vulnerabilities in veteran identities. Frontiers in Sociology, Medical Sociology, 9, 1-14. Available at: (link)

[5] Grimell, J. (2018). Reconsidering the uniform: Existential and religious identity reconstruction among Swedes after military service. Zürich: LIT Verlag. Available at: (link)

[6] Grimell, J. (2022). After so much is invested in creating robust military identities, what about the construction of fulfilling civilian identities after service? In D. Schmitz Wortmeyer (Ed.), Deep loyalties: Values in Military Lives (A volume in advances of cultural psychology: Constructing Human Development) (s. 191-210). Charlotte, N.C: Information Age Publications. Available at: (link)

[7] Grimell, J. (2020). Aborted transition between two dichotomous cultures as seen through Dialogical Self Theory. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 33(2), 188-206. Available at: (link)

[8] Grimell, J. (2018). Advancing an understanding of selves in transition: I-positions as an analytical tool. Culture & Psychology, 24(2), 190-211. Available at: (link)

[9] Grimell, J. (2017). Self-reorganization in transition from military to civilian life: Maria’s way. Mental Health in Family Medicine, 13, 544-553. Available at: (link)

[10] Grimell, J. (2016). Existential spiritual life among Swedish service members in transition: Marking out trends. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 3(3), 208-219. Available at: (link)

[11] Grimell, J. (2017). Making dialogue with an existential voice in transition from military to civilian life. Theory & Psychology, 27(6), 832-850. Available at: (link)

[12] Grimell, J. (2018). Revisiting the courage to be to understand transition from a military life. Practical Theology, 11(5), 387-400. Available at: (link)

[13] Grimell, J. (2019). Revisiting living in limbo to illustrate a pastoral psychological understanding of transition from military to civilian life. Pastoral Psychology, 68, 393-405.  Available at: (link)

[14] Grimell, J. (2024). Military Commitment and Identity as Implicit Religion: A Key to Understanding the Loss of Profundity in the Transition from Military to Civilian Life. Scandinavian Journal of Military Studies, 7(1), pp. 161–178. Available at: (link)

[15] Grimell, J. (2023). Moral injury: understanding Swedish veterans who are assessed but not diagnosed with PTSD. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1-13.  Available at: (link)

[16] Grimell, J., & Atuel, H. (2023). Beyond PTSD: A multi-case study exploring identity, moral injury, and spiritual injury. Journal of Veteran Studies, 9(3), 9–22.  Available at: (link)