The military plays a huge factor in the everyday lives of Israelis. At the age of 18, upon graduating high school, every Israeli is conscripted into the defense forces where they serve 2-3 years. Because the military has such a large presence in the lives of citizen’s, it obviously has significant psychological consequences. Although most Israelis aren’t directly involved in combat, they all contribute to and are highly aware of, the tension of war which pervades the nation.
Significant research has been done on the psychological impact of mandatory conscription. We chose to analyze two psychosociological phenomena related to mandatory conscription: gender differences, and development.