Abstract
High-demand military training combines extreme performance, discipline, belonging, and selective processes that may produce psychological distress and influence participants’ persistence, particularly in special operations courses. The study analyzes how psychosocial and institutional factors relate to military personnel dropout from these training programs. Specifically, it examines the organizational and symbolic characteristics of the courses, identifies manifestations of distress associated with performance demands and group dynamics, and investigates dropout as a result of the interaction among subjectivity, institutional culture, and mechanisms of selection and exclusion. It formulates the following research problem: how does psychological distress interact with performance demands and institutional mechanisms of selection and exclusion in special operations training? The study adopts bibliographic research and gathers publications on military organizational culture, mental health, performance, training processes, selection, and dropout. The analysis shows that the normalization of suffering as proof of endurance and belonging, combined with performance pressure, rigid hierarchy, competition, and limited spaces for institutional listening, favors psychosocial strain and feelings of inadequacy. The study concludes that dropout does not represent only individual failure but expresses tensions between the institutional ideal of excellence and the individual’s psychosocial limits, indicating the need to reconcile rigorous training, operational performance, and mental health care.