Abstract
Former educational material and studies have shown that the military has a history of using behavioral teaching methods, which also includes the Danish Defence. A problem with the use of behaviorism as a teaching method is that unique individual competencies is not taken into account. According to Axel Honneth’s theory of recognition an individual must be appreciated for the competence which he or her contributes to the community. This is crucial in order for the individual to feel recognition in the sphere Honneth refers to as the sphere of solidarity (Honneth, 2006). Recognition in the sphere of solidarity develops self-esteem. High self-esteem is in this case assumed to be important for soldiers because of the work-related task they can face. The purpose of this study is to investigate the phenomenon of recognition within the Danish Defence. This is done in order to investigate whether recognition can be enhanced through sport and physical activity.
The study is a qualitative case study which consists of 8 semi-structured interviews and an observation of a sports class. The case is considered as a paradigmatic case. This means that the case should be perceived as a prototype of a unit in the Danish Defence. The participants are all soldiers at Aalborg Kaserner. The interviews were transcribed and divided into themes.
The results of the study indicated that the soldiers had experienced behavioral teaching methods throughout their time in the Defence. However, after their military education ended, the teaching method changed. The study also found that the soldiers receives recognition in the sphere of solidarity. In addition to this, the soldiers were used to appreciate one another for their effort. Furthermore, the study showed that the soldiers felt optimistic, competent in situations at work, goal oriented and in general good at handling feedback. These are all markers for a high level of self-esteem which is related to recognition. It can be concluded that the soldiers do receive recognition in the sphere of solidarity both during sports class and when solving work tasks, which have resulted in a high level of self-esteem. Lastly, the study also found that it is possible to enhance recognition in the Danish Defence through sport and physical activity.