Navigating the Battlefield of the Mind: An Integrative Dakwah Model for Mitigating Cognitive and Spiritual Dissonance Among Armed Forces Personnel

Abstract

Military personnel frequently endure severe psychological and moral dissonance arising from the inherent conflict between operational duties and personal religious values. While secular psychological interventions are widely documented, the efficacy of localized, faith-based communication models remains underexplored. This study aims to analyze the multidimensional forms of cognitive, social, and spiritual dissonance experienced by Indonesian Army (TNI AD) soldiers at Makodam XIV/Hasanuddin and to evaluate the effectiveness of an Integrative Dakwah (Islamic preaching and counseling) Model in mitigating these psychological tensions. Employing a qualitative case study design, data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and document analysis involving soldiers, religious officers, and military commanders. Data were analyzed using interactive reduction and thematic synthesis. The findings reveal that soldiers experience profound dissonance categorized into psychological (idealism vs. operational reality), social (institutional duty vs. family obligations), and spiritual (disruption of vertical and horizontal worship). Crucially, the implementation of a humanistic, psychologically-informed, and highly contextualized Dakwah strategy significantly ameliorated these tensions. Peer-to-peer Dakwah and the reconceptualization of military duty as a form of spiritual worship (Jihad and Habluminannas) proved highly effective. Theoretically, this study expands Festinger’s Cognitive Dissonance Theory by demonstrating that spiritual contextualization acts as a primary mechanism for dissonance reduction. Practically, it advocates for a paradigm shift in military mental health policies, integrating humanistic faith-based counseling to bolster the emotional stability and moral resilience of armed forces personnel.