THE RESCUERS: A SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR DURING THE NAZI ERA (GERMANY).
Item
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Title
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THE RESCUERS: A SOCIOPSYCHOLOGICAL STUDY OF ALTRUISTIC BEHAVIOR DURING THE NAZI ERA (GERMANY).
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Identifier
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AAI8801711
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identifier
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8801711
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Creator
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FOGELMAN, EVA.
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Contributor
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Stephen P. Cohen
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Date
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1987
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Personality
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Abstract
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This socio-psychological study examines and analyzes in a historical context the altruistic behavior of The Rescuers, those who saved and/or aided Jews during World War II. In-depth psychological interviews were conducted with 100 non-Jewish rescuers of varying socioeconomic backgrounds from Eastern, Central, and Western European countries of origin, as well as with 100 Jewish survivors of the Holocaust. These clinical interviews were structured into three chronological time frames including (a) pre-war years, (b) war years, (c) post-war years. This interview design was intended to facilitate the investigation of the hypothesis that the rescue activity takes the form of and mirrors the rescuer's core self. Through the analysis of sociological factors, formative developmental influences, and event sequence paradigms, five rescuer types emerged: (a) Moral Rescuers, (b) Relational Philo-Semites, (c) Ideological Network Rescuers, (d) Children, (e) Detached Professionals. Detailed case studies illustrate the psycho-dynamics of the five types. The statistical findings as well as the case studies confirm the hypothesized continuity of self.;An equally important finding is that all of the rescuers in the sample possessed a tremendous capacity for empathetic identification with the victims of Nazi persecution. In terms of formative developmental influences, a large majority of rescuers (a) suffered loss in early childhood, (b) had a sibling born around three years after them, (c) experienced an altruistic role model with whom they also performed helpful deeds in childhood, (d) reported learning the value of tolerance for differentness from a parent or significant other, and (e) reported being encouraged by their parents to be independent and competent.;This study both dispels the "hero myth" concerning rescuers, and reveals rescuers as complex, often conflicted human beings whose ability to act humanely and to resist a malevolent authority nevertheless points toward their potential to serve as moral models. Further research into the "rescuer self" and the dynamics of the rescue relationship are outlined and a social analysis of the rescuers in a hostile post-War society argue that suspiciousness on the part of Holocaust survivors as well as a general cultural resistance to the memorialization of altruistic behavior has contributed to a neglectful attitude toward those who risked their lives to save others during the Holocaust.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
