Psychological Effects of the Holocaust
Mind Over Matter
The Holocaust was one of the most horrendous events ever to take place in our world’s history. It involved people all over the world and affected millions both directly and indirectly. It led to the death of over 11 million people, mostly Jews, and was started and controlled by the infamous German Nazis. Adolf Hitler, the mastermind behind the whole plan, was the chief organizer and began slowly starting to make those he thought were inferior suffer when he became Fuhrer in 1933. The circumstances during the time period leading up to and during World War II manipulated certain people to be controlled by various psychological tendencies. Perpetrators had a mindset that the people they were murdering weren’t actually fellow humans, but an inferior race that needed to be exterminated. Bystanders followed each other’s lack of action and chose to stand by idly while watching the mass murder of millions of people. Finally, upstanders were able to recognize that what was happening was wrong and risked their own lives in stepping up to help victims in any way they could. These three types of individuals all acted in various different ways, and their actions are explained through similar psychology that we've seen in countless other genocides throughout history.
The Holocaust was controlled and committed mainly by the German Nazis because they were taught to believe they were the superior race in their country. They believed that Jews, among other groups in Western Germany, were inferior creatures that needed to be exterminated. With psychological tendencies such as obedience, normative influence, communal reinforcement, and self-serving bias in play, these perpetrators were able to kill millions of innocent people both directly and indirectly.
Adolf Eichmann was a major organizer of the Holocaust who coordinated the movement of Jews into the ghettos and concentration camps. He was a huge contributor to the Holocaust and Hitler’s Final Solution
The Holocaust was one of the most horrendous events ever to take place in our world’s history. It involved people all over the world and affected millions both directly and indirectly. It led to the death of over 11 million people, mostly Jews, and was started and controlled by the infamous German Nazis. Adolf Hitler, the mastermind behind the whole plan, was the chief organizer and began slowly starting to make those he thought were inferior suffer when he became Fuhrer in 1933. The circumstances during the time period leading up to and during World War II manipulated certain people to be controlled by various psychological tendencies. Perpetrators had a mindset that the people they were murdering weren’t actually fellow humans, but an inferior race that needed to be exterminated. Bystanders followed each other’s lack of action and chose to stand by idly while watching the mass murder of millions of people. Finally, upstanders were able to recognize that what was happening was wrong and risked their own lives in stepping up to help victims in any way they could. These three types of individuals all acted in various different ways, and their actions are explained through similar psychology that we've seen in countless other genocides throughout history.
The Holocaust was controlled and committed mainly by the German Nazis because they were taught to believe they were the superior race in their country. They believed that Jews, among other groups in Western Germany, were inferior creatures that needed to be exterminated. With psychological tendencies such as obedience, normative influence, communal reinforcement, and self-serving bias in play, these perpetrators were able to kill millions of innocent people both directly and indirectly.
Adolf Eichmann was a major organizer of the Holocaust who coordinated the movement of Jews into the ghettos and concentration camps. He was a huge contributor to the Holocaust and Hitler’s Final Solution