The perception of U.S.-Soviet intentions and other psychological dimensions of the nuclear arms race.

Abstract

The build-up of our nuclear arsenal has created a new set of issues of particular concern to mental health professionals. These include: an understanding of the overwhelming scale of the medical emergency threatened by nuclear war or accident; the impact of the arms race on children and adolescents; the need to deal with various forms of fantasy and make-believe on the part of adults, in particular the effect of the nuclear responsibility on those in authority; and the need to find new ways of understanding and defining security in conflicted relationships.