Jonathan Shay is an American psychiatrist and author known for his groundbreaking work on combat trauma and moral injury. Holding degrees from Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, he began his career in neurological research before shifting his focus to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) while working with Vietnam War veterans at a Veterans Affairs clinic in Boston.
Shay gained recognition for drawing parallels between the experiences of modern combat veterans and the warriors depicted in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. His books, Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character (1994) and Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming (2002), explore PTSD through the lens of ancient literature, illustrating the psychological and moral wounds of war. He has been a vocal advocate for redefining PTSD as an injury rather than an illness, emphasizing the role of leadership, unit cohesion, and realistic training in preventing psychological harm.
His concept of moral injury—the psychological damage caused by a betrayal of moral expectations in high-stakes situations—has influenced military and mental health discussions. Throughout his career, Shay has advised military institutions, including the U.S. Marine Corps and Army War College, on improving soldier mental health. His contributions earned him a MacArthur "Genius Grant" in 2007 and led to the establishment of The Shay Moral Injury Center in 2018.