Abstract: During a military mission soldiers meet other soldiers as well as local population. The present study examines the attitude of the members of the Bulgarian armed forces towards the representatives of other cultures. The group therapy and interviews, performed in the Center for Psychological Health and Prevention (The Military Medical Academy, Sofia), with soldiers, who had returned from missions in Afghanistan, outline the following issues for the Bulgarian military: underestimation of the risk for life; help to local population; difficult interaction with some contingents and easy with others. The investigation has been carried out with 761 Bulgarian soldiers. The data are presented as a questionnaire with 14 items. The cultural differences in multinational contingents and between the contingent and the local population lead to over-strain of the adaptive capabilities and the potential of the military. The findings are useful in programs aiming to increase the professional efficiency and reduce the stress-factor.
Key words: NATO peacekeepingoperations; cultural differences, adaptivity potential, stress factor.
Rhetoric and Communications E-journal, Issue 6, November 2012, http://rhetoric.bg/, ISSN 1314-4464