The Active Guard Reserve (AGR) Community: Toxic Leadership, Mental Trauma, and Treatment Barriers

Abstract

The USAR AGR program is known as one of the U.S. Army's best kept secrets due to the added benefits of being on active duty orders while performing duties for USAR units. Upon entry into the program, AGRs are expected to receive on-the-job training from their predecessors or superiors but in some cases this does not happen. The AGR program is a very unique program, but very little is published about the experiences that AGR Soldiers can expect during their tenure. This research paper will discuss the culture and biases associated with being an AGR Soldier from the point of view of active AGR Soldiers. This point of view is extremely important, because AGRs are in a category of their own separate from active duty and reserve personnel. Most publications reflect on the issues that either active duty and reserve personnel go through, but very few focus on the full-time staff keeping those USAR units running smoothly. In the following sections, this research paper will explore traits of toxic behaviors, signs of mental trauma and secondary traumatic stress, impacts on families and morale, solutions for dealing with toxic leaders, and methods for encouraging ethical leadership and behavior in the workplace.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 04, 2020
Accession Number
AD1177811

Entities

People

  • Alexander A Oshobu

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Active Duty
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of Veterans Affairs
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • Families (Human)
  • Health
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Job Training
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Mental Health
  • Military Families
  • Military Medicine
  • Military Personnel
  • National Guard
  • New York
  • Psychiatry
  • Social Media
  • Students
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder
  • United States
  • Universities

Readers

  • Educational Psychology
  • Military Mobilization and Reserve Forces Studies.
  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.