ADM Reading Room

•KNOWLEDGE

•SKILL

•JUDGMENT

To possess ability in any field, including the use of lethal force in defense, these are the three key elements.

KNOWLEDGE of rules and laws provide the basis for legal and appropriate action. Knowledge of yourself, your limitations, strengths, physical capability at any given time and circumstance guide your actions. And a knowledge of human behavior can help you predict outcomes.

SKILL in the use of any defensive tool is required for success. Spend time becoming intimately familiar with the operation of your firearm. Practice until competent at a firearms range.

JUDGMENT is not instinctual. It must be taught. And at its foundation is knowledge and skill. Judgment can be defined as "an analysis of options followed by an action." Virtual reality is an excellent method of teaching judgment, also known as decision making. Competence in decision making replaces the panic response with a learned response.

Thus we have a person with ability. In the case of self defense with a firearm available, it is the ability to survive that is paramount, not necessarily the employment of lethal force.

THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS

The slide to the right is not the judgment process (also known as decision making), at least not one that is workable. As simply stated above--and it makes a good definition too--judgment is "the analysis of options followed by an action." Without seeing options we're left with a panic response. Judgment replaces the panic response.

Skill-based training alone does not teach judgment. You can fire away all day at the range, get very good shooting at paper, and then mistakenly use lethal force against someone who scares you but is not going to be shown later when in a calm courtroom to be a lethal or serious threat. Getting your panic response under control is a big part of decision making training. Then your live-fire experience has meaning and application.

If you believe that live-fire practice provides competent physical skill, you must also believe that decision making training provides competent decision making skill. Consider that your judgment process when faced with a serious or lethal threat is the same process jurors will use in court. But you may have only seconds to engage that process whereas jurors have days, weeks, or even longer. The purpose of virtual-reality decision making training is to enable you to front-load the process.

THE THREE SUBJECT AREAS

All decisions involving lethal force used for self defense involve these three subject areas:

•the person (yourself),

•the weapon (some prefer the term firearm),

•the environment.

The next three segments will explore each in some detail, though here is a thumbnail sketch: before discharging your firearm you will analyze within the time available your capabilities as they may be affected by a variety of factors, the suitability of the firearm you intend to use, and the complications of the surrounding environment. In short, these elements form the foundation of what is often referred to as "situational awareness."

SUBJECT AREA: PERSON

Many times when poor decisions are made and unfortunate actions are taken, the cause can be traced back to our compromised self. The I'M SAFE personal assessment is a good and quick tool.

Consider these elements in brief:

•(I)llness. Being sick or injured affects mood and capability, which in turn affects the ability to make accurate perceptions take appropriate and timely action.

•(M)edication. We're all familiar with drug warning labels.

•(S)tress. Some stress is needed just to stay alive. Too much stress is incapacitating. It is "eustress" which we wish to experience to enjoy normal thoughts and actions.

•(A)lcohol. No amount of alcohol benefits the judgment process. A social lubricant, maybe. But alcohol in any amount does not otherwise enhance the ability to use any tool.

•(F)atigue. In varying degrees, fatigue itself can have the effect, combined or singular, of illness, medication, stress, or alcohol.

•(E)ating. Nourishment affects body chemistry as does all of the above. A lack of proper nourishment is detrimental.

Now consider the person who leaves home and is about to strap on a concealed firearm. This person just came down with a cold last night, and has taken medication containing alcohol and a sleep aid. Still, this person slept hardly at all because of the neighbor's loud dog--something that must be resolved soon. And, finally, this individual is late for work (again) and must perform well today since continued-employment warnings have been given.

Is this someone who should strap on a firearm today? Used properly, the I'MSAFE checklist might persuade our friend to leave the firearm at home today, or at least resolve to use extra caution in interpreting situations.

CONSIDERING STRESS

Without some level of stress--the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response--we die. When there is stress beyond the body's capability to cope, we die. So, somewhere in the middle is optimum. Yet that middle point, especially psychologically, is different for each of us mostly because of our experience.

Since the subject here is defense with a firearm, consider that the person with little ability with a firearm (most people who own one) is likely in a stress-overload state when in a situation using a firearm for defense. What is the likelihood that decisions and actions will be appropriate and lead to survival? 50/50? Less?

Now consider a well-trained and capable person in a situation using a firearm for defense. Certainly there exists stress, but the chance of maintaining eustress--the very top of the bell curve--is good. Decisions and actions are more likely to be appropriate and lead to survival.

Firearm defense training is emergency training and not simply normal-procedures training. Would you like to take your next airline flight with a crew that received no emergency training? Of course not. Their actions would likely not be appropriate and be those that lead to survival.

SUBJECT AREA: WEAPON

The second of the three subject areas is "The Weapon," in this case more particularly, a firearm. When making decisions regarding its use, one must consider one's familiarity with it and its condition. Skill with the weapon should employ the mental process of "automatic reaction" (see 3 mental processes below) so that there remains energy for situational awareness--known here as "repeated reviewing" (also below under 3 mental processes).

Knowing the condition of a firearm is equally important. Is it loaded and with what is it loaded? Is it clean and in a condition to be fully operational? Has it been properly and regularly maintained? Are any attached accessories compatible and also fully operational? These questions should be answered prior to the firearm being made available for use.

There may be situations in which a particular firearm is unsuitable for defense regardless of its condition and the holder's competency with it. Such a situation would require unique decision making.

Any tool is only as good as its suitability for use when considering a variety of factors.

SUBJECT AREA: ENVIRONMENT

The three subject areas about which all judgments are made and actions are taken are yourself, the weapon (firearm), and the environment. One must analyze the environmental advantages and disadvantages presented in a self-defense situation. One might call this analysis of environmental conditions "situational awareness," which is ongoing and requires "repeated reviewing."

Conditions, such as the background behind the threat, can dramatically alter judgments and actions. Your own physical and mental ability may also be changing during a self-defense situation. Conditions change, hence situational awareness (analysis of the environment) is dynamic and requires the repeated review of conditions, i.e., taking advantage of changing conditions that can lead to survival.

This mental process of environmental awareness should be at the level of "automatic reaction," as opposed to "problem solving." This requires practice and training. An example: consider that you're writing your signature--this is action at the automatic reaction level (a complex activity done without much conscious thought). But now put the pen in your other hand and make your signature. This becomes an activity requiring much concentration and is at the problem solving level of accomplishment. With practice this can become an automatic reaction.

A final thought: the more your judgment and action can be "automatic," the more mental capacity you have available for situational awareness.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDES

We are all capable of good decisions and actions and not so good decisions and actions. When not so good, those decision and actions have been found to often be driven by attitudes--thought patterns and habits--we develop. Both good and bad can be changed. Here we introduce the not-so-good, generally, and later each hazardous attitude in particular.

During decision-making training, hazardous attitude(s) manifest themselves in actions. And when one appears it is usually displayed regularly. An instructor can identify the attitude and often remediate it. Sometimes, however, a hazardous attitude borders on pathology and cannot be easily remedied.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE: MACHO

We explore first the hazardous attitude MACHO. It has nothing to do with gender, but is rather an unrealistic attitude characterized by an "I can do anything" attitude. While confidence is a good thing and necessary, it needs to be grounded in reality: training received, recency of experience, and so on. Bravado does not itself ensure success.

The ADM model of instruction offers a self-assessment inventory to see which of the hazardous attitudes are dominant. Training and antidotes can remediate hazardous attitudes.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE: ANTI-AUTHORITY

Each state has in place laws that govern the use of lethal force (firearms) for self defense. Some laws are seen as very restrictive, others are seen as liberal. Regardless, a crime may be committed by a defender if actions taken are outside the bounds of the law.

A defender who does operate outside the law takes the chance of having to explain to a jury why the action was justified. Few states provide exceptions to the law--the law is the law. Now take aviation for example: a pilot may deviate from any rule/law necessary to meet the demands of an emergency. Well, self defense is by its nature already an emergency, and it within that context that the self-defense laws are written. No exceptions are offered because the emergency is already recognized as a basis for laws.

Knowledge is power. And knowledge of the law is the basis for decision making. As written above, the foundation of decision making is knowledge, skill, judgment.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE: IMPULSIVITY

Acting on the first thought that comes to mind rarely leads to a successful outcome. True, good training shortens the time needed to make a good decision, but good decisions result from a process. That process takes minimum time when it comes as a result of training. An uninformed observer watching the actions of a well trained practitioner may conclude that a decision and action was impulsive, but that observer would be wrong.

Yet, identifying this hazardous attitude does not discount instinct. But realize that instinct is born-in and does not involve decisions. And it may be that training has by design the goal of overriding instinct.

Finally, this is a good time to express again that all of these hazardous attitudes only become potentially dangerous when it/they predominate. All of us from time-to-time employ these attitudes, and there is little concern for that.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE: INVULNERABILITY

It is sometimes said that the young are particularly prone to think that nothing bad will ever happen to them, and that is partially true. And it must be said that without some sense of this attitude--again, these attitudes are only a problem when they predominate--we probably would never get out of bed to start our day. So when is "invulnerability" a bad thing? How about when you're faced with real danger and you believe that nothing bad will happen to you. And then that attitude guides your actions.

Those we deem to be a hero often will say that they didn't think of themselves, only the task before them. Does it take a sense of invulnerability to be a hero in certain situations? Probably. Will a hero always disregard their own future? Probably not.

Danger, to varying degrees, is simply a part of existence. So, what about lots of luck leading to a sense of invulnerability? That's a slippery slope since luck is only a perception.

HAZARDOUS ATTITUDE: RESIGNATION

This attitude is characterized by: ". . . there's nothing I can do." Everything is seen as hopeless and the person believes he or she is powerless. The antidote is education and training, yet the person with this attitude is not likely to believe that either will be effective. Resignation is a particular challenge to for instructors. However, expert technique and patience can prevail.

POOR JUDGMENT CHAIN

The reason that a poor judgment increases the likelihood that other poor judgments--decisions--will follow is that those subsequent decisions are based on that previous bad information.

The longer the chain of poor decisions gets, the harder it is to break. A certain inertia is established and there is a recognized investment in the time and energy expended. Too, there is a belief that all is well since "we've gotten this far."

But the longer the chain, the less opportunity for a positive outcome. Generally, unless the chain is recognized and broken, only failure remains to stop events. The key, then, is to be aware of poor judgment chains and through situational awareness (discussed below) break it.

3 MENTAL PROCESSES

Let's first compare automatic reaction as a mental process to problem resolving as a mental process. As for automatic reaction, imagine that you're writing your signature. It's so well practiced, it's automatic. You can probably hold a conversation while doing it, or do any number of other things too. Writing your signature, then, is an example of the mental process of automatic reaction--something so well practiced it seems to be instinct.

Now, let's have you put the pen in your other hand and ask you to again write your signature. This will take some concentration, maybe even to the exclusion of things going on around you. You are now engaged in the mental process of problem resolving. Things are not so automatic, but they can be. With practice, what once required problem resolving can become an automatic reaction.

With regard to self defense using a firearm, we want manipulation of the firearm to be at the automatic reaction level. That leaves much mental space for other things like situational awareness--something we call repeated reviewing.

We use the phrase repeated reviewing since it better describes the constantly ongoing process of evaluation and adaptation. In our view, "situational awareness" does not describe the entire process of evaluating the changing condition of the person, weapon, and environment (see above). Nor does it fully account for the stress response (see above). Situational awareness does not address the need for awareness of hazardous attitudes. And it doesn't touch on the identification of a poor judgment chain.

Too, the phrase "situational awareness" seems somewhat static--once aware, always aware. Of what? These thought-starter discussions describe that there is much more to be aware of than the "situation," whatever that really is anyway. Remember that the definition of decision making is the analysis of options followed by an action. Options change by the second and so can all the human and physical conditions we've described. It's only through a constant, repeated review of an ever-changing dynamic that one can be successful.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT CONTINUES SOON