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Erick Miyares
Erick is a veteran of the US Marines and Army Special Operations Intelligence. Now has retired from the forces he has pivoted into researching the impact of cyber warfare on the psychology of ‘Interactive Operators’.
In the shiny new field of Operational CyberPsychology, Erick is pioneering a pathway into the psychological impact of those who deal with the cognitive and emotional strain of cyber warfare.
Even though he is a veteran, he continues to serve his country by psychologically supporting those who are still engaged in international operations.
In today’s episode of Confessions of a CyberPsychologist, I chat with Erick Miyares, a retired Army Sgt Major, a former US Marine and Army Special Operations Intelligence Professional. He is currently a Ph.D. student in CyberPsychology focusing on the Psychological and Cognitive effects of Offensive Cyber and Computer Network Operations.
We talk about the Psychological Impact of Technology Us in Cyber Warfare in the Armed Forces Intelligence Units. We focus on:
00:42 What got Erick interested in CyberPsychology and pursuing a Ph.D.
02:40 Being the 2023 Pat Tillman scholar with the Pat Tillman Foundation (https://pattillmanfoundation.org/meet-our-scholars/erick-miyares-2-2/).
03:46 Why his PhD research focus is such an important research area.
05:19 The cognitive and emotionally draining elements of intelligence work.
09:30 The personal driver for embarking on his Ph.D. journey.
12:07 The emotional and mental skills needed by those in Special Operations to do their job well.
17:39 The definition and symptoms of ‘Cyberspace Operator Syndrome’.
24:40 The psychological impact and fear of ‘pressing an enter button’ in cyber warfare.
33:44 The ‘Extended Mind’ in Cyber Warfare and the impact this would have on interactive operators.
40:27 His main learnings so far in his PhD journey in Operational CyberPsychology amongst interactive operators.
43.02 The ‘real-world’ impact of his PhD research in Operational CyberPsychology.
46:03 How research in Operational research is different from that of Cybersecurity or Forensic in the world of Cyberpsychology.
51:45 Potential careers in Operational CyberPsychology – especially in supporting Interactive Operators.
54:45 The career path and areas of study to get into Operational CyberPsychology.
57:45 The endless possibilities of a career in CyberPsychology.
You can read more about Erick’s journey into Operator CyberPsychology in his LinkedIn blog from August 2024: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7233880137191075841/.
If you are interested in cyberwarfare, and how technology use impacts those in the intelligence side of special operations, you will probably find this episode interesting.
#ConfessionsOfACyberPsychologist #CyberPsychology #Cybercology
