David Miller

Date of Award

2015

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Cuomo, Glenn

Keywords

German National Socialism, German Studies, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy

Area of Concentration

German Language and Literature

Abstract

This thesis synthesizes literature from the disciplines of history, German studies, philosophy, and psychoanalysis to suggest that no special breed of evil compelled individuals in German society to collectively commit acts of atrocity under the regime of the Third Reich. Rather, ordinary psychological processes that are inherent in human nature were at work to encourage the conformity of German society with the extreme ideology of National Socialism. These psychological processes were exacerbated, however, by circumstances within Germany and by the traumas of the First World War. A variety of related phenomena are discussed within the context of the Third Reich: gratification through the unconscious release of aggression; emotional development and processes of identification in adolescence; national crises of identity; ideological certainty and collective psychosis; the moral implications of the fault versus responsibility quandary. This thesis concludes that in contemporary, democratic societies, biases against recognition of the universality of these psychological phenomena prevent the self-reflection necessary to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

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