Jan Grimell

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• PhD
• Senior Lecturer at Umeå University

This article is the second in a two-part series on military chaplaincy in war-torn Ukraine. While the first article (Grimell, 2024a) provided background informa­tion, including empirical interview data on military chaplaincy in Ukraine, this second article focuses on the lessons learned by Ukrainian military chaplains (MCs). Both articles are based...

This article is the first of two (Part 1 and Part 2) that shed light on military chaplaincy in war-torn Ukraine. The first article introduces military chaplaincy in Ukraine and sets the stage for Part 2, which focuses on the lessons learned by Ukrainian military chaplains (MCs). The articles are based on interviews exploring the roles, practices an...

In the 20th century, military medicine and psychiatry emerged as dominant paradigms in Western military contexts, shaping practices across recruitment, selection, training, screening, evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment. This approach paralleled trends in broader Western society, where it has faced criticism for medicalizing social, psychological,...

This article is based on a rare longitudinal interview study on the transition from military to civilian life in which participants shared their experiences over the course of ten years. The challenges of transition included disconnection from a collective life that had previously offered service members identity, community, camaraderie and purpose...

As service members transition from deployment to civilian life, they are also expected to reintegrate into society. An important part of this process is to “soften up” veteran or warrior identities and open up the self for both existing and new identities, mindsets, and ways of life. Past research has shown that the warrior mindset, in particular,...

The aim of this article was to explore the stresses of war on the human soul, utilizing empirical research on the experiences and contributions of military chaplains (MCs) in the war in Ukraine. The concept of the human soul was examined through a theoretical framework inspired by Mead's notions of the I and the Me. The I represented the unique, cr...

Objective ADHD is often a lifelong condition, and has grown increasingly prevalent over the past few decades. Adolescence is a period characterized by the quest to develop a coherent identity, yet relatively little research has examined the relationship between ADHD diagnosis and identity. The purpose of this study was to explore the importance of...

This article takes its starting point in a longitudinal interview study that began in 2013 with the aim of investigating identity reconstruction during the transition from military to civilian life. Annual follow-up interviews were conducted for three years, after which there was a break for seven years until 2023 when a new interview cycle was con...

This article describes the mental health of Swedish veterans of foreign conflicts with a focus on Veteran Health Limbo, which is also the name of an ongoing research project. Veteran Health Limbo refers to those veterans of foreign conflicts whose mental health is suffering, but who do not meet the criteria for clinical PTSD. The term limbo is used...

Den här artikeln beskriver måendet hos svenska utlandsveteraner och tar sikte på Veteranhälsans limbo, vilket också är namnet ett pågående forskningsprojekt. Veteranhälsans limbo åsyftar de utlandsveteraner som upplever ett försämrat mående och ökat lidande men ändå inte uppfyller kriterierna för klinisk PTSD. Uttrycket limbo används för att vetera...

This chapter uses the concepts of trauma and nostalgia to analyze the portrayal of PTSD in homecoming films. Nostalgia, integral to the study of battle’s psychological effects, has evolved in cultural studies to scrutinize power dynamics in depictions of “home.” This chapter scrutinizes how films depict the relationship between trauma and home. Dra...

This article is based on an interview study of 24 Swedish veterans who experienced deteriorating mental health and increased suffering without meeting the criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. With no clinical answers as to the cause of their deteriorating mental health, they have been thrown into a veteran’s health limbo. The analysis was based on an ind...

This article investigated constructions of evil among deployed Swedish veterans. Six cases were used to demonstrate common themes of these constructions: humans are capable of everything; anyone can be violated, even killed; evil and cruelty comes in many forms; coldness/cynicism; exhausting to witness suffering and pain; and existential rumination...

This article is based on an analysis of the first season of the Danish series Herrens Veje (The Way of the Lord; Price 2017). The series portrays the young, idealistic pastor and military chaplain August, who is deployed to a conflict zone with a military unit. He accompanies the unit on a patrol to win the trust of the soldiers. During the patrol...

Under 2 veckor har jag genomfört en föreläsningsserie för Sveriges Veteranförbund runt om i Sverige. Har delat 10 års forskning med särskilt fokus på bla militär/veteran identitet, övergångsprocess, PTSD och moralisk skada. Det går att se föreläsningen på Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HK1zIacaUy4

This work is about understanding veterans beyond the typical clinical military diagnosis of PTSD. For many veterans, there are other challenges that must also be understood and addressed to make life worth living. For example, identity issues, permanent moral conflicts (i.e. moral injury), spiritual thoughts and existential concerns about purpose a...

I Sverige finns cirka 54 000 personer som av Försvarsmakten skickats ut på militära internationella insatser. Det rör sig om betydligt fler om man räknar de som inte längre lever. Därtill finns det personer på en rad andra myndigheter som skickats ut på insatser i världens olika konflikthärdar. Dessa personer kallas för utlandsveteraner. Att leva o...

This article focuses a theoretical lens on the veteran self and discusses what this can mean for veterans, their loved ones, and society. Mead's (1934) generalized other, Cooley's (1902) looking-glass self, and James's (1890) and Mead's division of the self into the I and the Me are central concepts in this discussion. The article embraces a symbol...

Although there has not been war in Swedish territory for many years, this does not mean that the country has no veterans who have experienced the challenges of war zone deployments or suffer from combat trauma. The Invisible Wounded Warriors in a Nation at Peace gives a rare look at the international operations of the Swedish military, while offeri...

I den här artikeln diskuteras konturer av militära kulturer sett genom två religionssociologiska linser, implicit religion och levd religion. Därefter fästes strålkastarljuset på själavårdens unika bidrag i en militär kontext, för att slutligen veckla ut ett antal utmaningar för både själavårdare och Svenska kyrkan. Artikeln tar sin utgångspunkt i...

Research on ambulance culture and identity is globally scant and nonexistent within a Swedish context. This study on Swedish ambulance nurses serves as a first step and an important entry point into this topic. The purpose was to describe professional ambulance identities among four participants who had served between several years and decades in t...

This chapter deals with the construction of robust military identities and the reconstruction such identities amid transition from military to civilian life. The chapter draws from empirical research and narrative psychology and Dialogical Self Theory in the analysis.

This article draws a comparative picture on the Lutheran military chaplain’s profes-sion, professional competence and their commonalities and differences in Finland and Sweden. We also present the historical, societal and organisational context that have contributed to the development of professions in both countries. The results show that military...

Research on healthcare chaplaincy-identity over the years has to a large extent, been both theory-driven and less pronounced in the field of chaplaincy. While this research has contributed important insights, it has also called for empirical/quali-tative research, which can add to the growing need for research that complements and nuances theoretic...

Kapitlet summerar kärnfullt viktiga nutidskonturer vad avser forskning om militär själavård och lutar sig emot forskningsintervjuer med militärpräster.

Detta kapitel fokuserar sjukhusdiakoners och sjukhusprästers identitetsutveckling mot bakgrund av deras arbete i en sjukhuskontext. Kapitlet bygger på en intervjustudie som genomfördes 2020.

Bokomslag "De osynliga krigarna i freds samhället: En intervjustudie om svenska utlands veteraners liv med PTSD, moraliska skador och militära identiteter" ISBN 978-91-7777-193-7

Den långa freden innanför Sveriges gränser är inte synonym med att det saknas krigsupplevelser och krigstrauma i en svensk kontext. I De osynliga krigarna i fredssamhället ges en sällsynt inblick i svensk militär internationell verksamhet samtidigt som läsaren får en unik och fördjupad förståelse för livet med PTSD. Moralisk skada och andra begrepp...

Boken bygger på intervjuer med präster i Svenska kyrkan som utövat militär själavård i Försvarsmakten, under framför allt 2000-talet, vid både internationella insatser och svenska övningsförhållanden. Boken belyser en blind fläck i svensk nutidsforskning om militär själavård och militära själavårdare. I boken får läsaren en unik inblick i hur insti...

Uniformer, identiteter och militära själavårdare En intervjustudie om prästers erfarenheter av institutionssjälavård i Försvarsmakten Jan Grimell artos academic Uniformer, identiteter och militära själavårdare Jan Grimell isbn 978-91-7777-192-0 Den här boken bygger på intervjuer med präster i Svenska kyrkan som utövat militär själavård i Försvarsma...

Chaplaincy services form a vital complement for secular societal institutions which must accommodate spiritual needs, including but not limited to, hospitals, armed forces, and prisons. Yet cultures within societal institutions and churches or faith organizations are fundamentally different. The purpose of this article is to present a conceptual, m...

This article presents a pilot study on pastors and deacons serving as hospital chaplains who provide spiritual care within a large urban hospital in Sweden. This descriptive study presents a unique contextual insight into Swedish hospital chap-lains' experiences. The purpose of this article, through the analysis of semi-structured interview materia...

The purpose of this article is to introduce the health care services potential parallels between biblical combat characters and modern understandings of posttraumatic stress disorder, moral injury, and spiritual injury. A gallery of biblical combat veteran types is presented as a potential tool to help serve spiritual/religious (S/R) service member...

Both the models of moral distress and of moral injury place an emphasis on various types of moral challenges that may violate the individual's conscience, evoking moral emotions. Yet, there appears to be great conceptual confusion as regards both scholarly perspectives. The purpose of this article is to further elaborate on the qualitative content...

This article presents a recently completed research project on pastors providing spiritual care within the Swedish Armed Forces. This descriptive study provides unique contextual insights of experiences from military chaplains. The purpose of the study was to describe experiences and lessons learned (wisdom) from pastors providing military spiritua...

This spiritual-psychological exegesis continues to expand the gallery of biblical combat veteran types by shedding light on a new biblical combat character. Gideon from the Book of Judges was an experienced combat veteran and military commander. The findings include the proposal of a new categorical type of a combat veteran who illustrates both spi...

Pastors serving as military chaplains have been an integral part of the Swedish Armed Forces for hundreds of years. This close relationship has continued even after the Church of Sweden was formally separated from the state in 2000. Yet contemporary research drawing from experiences of Swedish military chaplains during their pastoral and spiritual...

"När identiteter förändras" undersöker hur vi i teori och praktik, med ett själavårdande perspektiv, kan förstå identiteter i förändring hos människor i det levda livet och i bibelns berättelser. Det finns något i varje människa som ger henne eller honom kraft och energi, originalitet, samvete och kreativitet – nämligen själen. Den är central för f...

The transition from military to civilian life includes a multitude of challenges for service members and their significant others. This transfer from one context to another can include, but is not limited to, a need for an identity shift, cultivation of an alternate mind-set, social reorientation, a search for employment, grief and sadness due to t...

In this article, we explore the process of transitions from a military life to a civilian life. Making use of the concepts offered by Dialogical Self Theory, we explore how individuals negotiate the acquisition of new, civilian identities by integrating different, sometimes conflicting, cultural I-positions. Moreover, in this article, we explore ho...

The significance of the body has emerged as a vital yet neglected element in the transition from military to civilian life. The recognition of a military body enhances the understanding of potential pastoral and counseling needs among veterans beyond the mind and the soul. This article attempts to contribute to further knowledge about this topic, d...

This article applies Bonhoeffer’s description of Christian discipleship to research literature on military culture and costs of military service. Bonhoeffer’s theological understanding of discipleship illustrates a calling, subordination, obedience, discipline, loyalty, mission focus and the cost thereof, and a collectivistic approach. These are co...

The purpose of this article is to further advance the understanding of self-identity work amid transition from military to civilian life, with emphasis on the complexities between and within the military and civilian cultural I-positions of a dialogical self. An analysis of a longitudinal case study of an aborted transition leads to the hypothesis...

Voices from theology seldom participate in a contemporary conversation on military cultures and identities; this article attempts to stimulate this conversation from such a perspective. The article combines a literature review with narratives of sacrifice from real-life cases. It presents a reflective perspective on the formation of military identi...

This article continues to build on the biblical combat veteran types (BCVTs) which were recently presented as a tool to describe and understand biblical combat veterans through the lenses of post-traumatic stress disorder and moral injury. The purpose of this article is to connect the BCVTs with real-life cases so as to show the potential usefulnes...

This psychological exegesis reconsiders biblical characters through recent theories on moral injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purposes of this article are to shed new light on these characters and to engage in conversations of what the findings may mean for pastoral care and their connections to theology. The findings include t...

To better understand how deployment in war zones and/or combat may inflict emotional wounds upon veterans, researchers, clinicians, and caregivers it was recently started to focus on the concepts of moral and spiritual injuries. Such injuries may remain undiscovered during psychiatric screening for posttraumatic stress disorder. What is often missi...

A dialogical self theory framework has shown to be a promising methodology in the pursuit of mapping and gridding the psychological topography among military personnel during transition from military to civilian life and thereby advance the understandings of self-identity work in the process. This article demonstrates this methodology through a cas...

A dialogical self theory framework has shown to be a promising methodology in the pursuit of mapping and gridding the psychological topography among military personnel during transition from military to civilian life and thereby advance the understandings of self-identity work in the process. This article demonstrates this methodology through a cas...

This article, drawn from a comprehensive empirical study, offers a theological reflection on the transition from military to civilian life. The author revisits Tillich’s classical existential theology in an attempt to understand the transition as an existential threat to the participants in the study. The transition can be understood as a temporary...

This research project on transition from military to civilian life was given birth in March of 2013 when it was approved here by the faculty of theology. The purpose of the project was to describe existential and/or religious dimensions in identity reconstruction among Swedish military personnel during the process of becoming civilians over an exte...

This longitudinal study has followed nineteen Swedish service members as they have transitioned from military to civilian life and grappled with their own questions of losing profound military identities, communities, meanings, and purposes in life, in addition to exploring alternate cultural identities. The empirical findings present alternate way...

Dialogical Self Theory has contributed to the endeavors to map and grid self-identity work in transition from military to civilian life throughout an empirical and longitudinal research project which focuses on existential dimensions. This article is based on a case study from this project and centers upon Sergeant Jonas, who, upon his return from...

Qualitative research has demonstrated that transition from military to civilian life involves narrative identity reconstruction among service members. The reformulation of narrative identities may prove to become an existential quest for service members since the questions of who I am, where I am going, and what is my place in the world need t...

Self-identity work appears to be a challenge for many service members as they transition and reintegrate into civilian life. When other cultural influences seem to threaten an established self as it labors with transition, tension and conflict may arise and can potentially impact mental health. Insights from an ongoing longitudinal project on the s...

Adopting a longitudinal approach to exploring the psychology of the transition from military to civilian life, one case study is presented that adds a spiritual perspective to the transition process. This case study serves as an example representative from a group of participants who have been followed through a research project on identity reconst...

This article utilizes a longitudinal case study of a secular Swedish veteran to reflect on ongoing research. Special attentivon is paid to the study's potential contributions of practical theology. Drawing from psychological sources, a theoretical and methodological approach is presented that provides a useful framework for such an enterprise. By r...

Research presentation at Valcartier Family Centre (close to Quebec) Oct 2016

Adopting a narrative approach with a dialogical framework, a longitudinal case study is presented that describes a service member's self in transition from active service into the civilian population. An analysis and interpretation of the case study leads to the hypothesis that if a dominant military I-position appears in the self, a transition may...

This study investigates, adopting a longitudinal approach, existential spiritual life among military service members (N = 19) during their transition into civilian life. Four general trends within the sample are presented, and highlighted by the 4 case study examples that best capture each of the trends. An interpretation of the findings suggests t...

Adopting a dialogical framework, a case study is presented that explores the story of the self in the aftermath of crisis. An analysis and interpretation of the case study leads to the hypothesis that integration and dialogue through promoters, coalitions, and cooperation are needed in the process of reconstructing the story and the self. A cultura...

Military culture shapes a narrative military identity which gives rise to a military I-position of the self. This may become a dominant voice in the dialogical self. As military personnel leave active duty and begin the transition to civilian life their personal narrative as a military professional becomes disrupted. Additionally, the transition in...

In this study the situation in Knutby Filadelfia congregation between the years 1985 and 2004 was analyzed and interpreted with two social psychological perspectives, Social Cognitive Theory (Bandura, 1986) and The Power of the Situation (Zimbardo, 2007). A social psychological effort to shed light over the situation in Knutby Filadelfia congregati...