1. By: Catherine Adams

2.  What leads one group of humans to thoroughly and brutally try to annihilate another group of humans?  Conformity  Obedience

3.  A form of social influence where an individual acts in response to a direct order, usually from an authority figure.  Authority  Involves a hierarchy of power/status

4.  Asked “are Germans different?”  Conducted obedience experiments.  Found that all people are obedient to authority figures.

5.  Driven by intense hate or prejudice.  Abnormality (Craziness)  Lucy Dawidowitzc  Sherif's Realistic Group Conflict Theory

6.  Psychological theory of eugenics  Certain group of people are inferior and their kind bred out of the race

7.  Experiment was conducted comparing Holocaust survivors and European Jews who did not undergo the Holocaust.  Findings:  Holocaust survivors had poorer psychological well-being, more post-traumatic stress symptoms and more psychopathological symptoms.  There were no significant differences in cognitive functioning or physical health.  Holocaust survivors who lived in Israel showed better psychological well-being and social adjustment than survivors who lived in other countries.

8.  Suppressed memories in order to live functioning lives.  As time goes on, and negative things happen (losing a spouse, declining health, etc…) victims might fall into a post-traumatic relapse.

9.  All in all, the psychology of the Holocaust is a topic that needs plenty more exploration.  There are too many questions in the study of psychology to properly answer the questions on the effect psychology had on the Holocaust.

10.  www.simplypsychology.org/obedience.html www.simplypsychology.org/obedience.html  www.internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~lyuban sk/Shoah/Naziperp.htm www.internal.psychology.illinois.edu/~lyuban sk/Shoah/Naziperp.htm  www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/09/ holocaust-survivors.aspx www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/09/ holocaust-survivors.aspx