Challenges and Limitations

Abstract

Every tool that you will ever use or encounter has a specific purpose for which it was made—a purpose that is limited by its form and function. The same is true for psychological tools, wherein each is appropriate to accomplish specific goals under particular circumstances, and will have limited or even counterproductive effects if used outside these parameters. Just as a nail gun isn’t particularly useful for fixing a car, there will be some operations for which propaganda or illusions simply aren’t the appropriate tools. In each of the three parts of this book, a chapter will be dedicated to the challenges that one will encounter in implementing the content found within each part. In most cases, these limitations can be overcome by combining psychological strategies, to create synergy between them as the strengths of one compensate for the weaknesses of another. In other cases, additional research may be required to overcome these limitations to the implementation in a wide range of common scenarios in conflict, but the next chapter will focus on future research.