Ever wonder why atrocities happen in wartime? Why genocide can occur among populations of supposedly civilized, cultured societies of “good people.” Why the torture and abuse at Abu Ghraib was perpetrated by a group of otherwise seemingly normal Americans. Do you think that such deeds are solely the fault of a few flawed, sadistic, evil individuals, or is there something else at work that contributes to these monstrous examples of inhumanity?
I have a book suggestion for you: The Lucifer Effect by Phillip Zimbardo. It’s now out in paperback and provides detailed case as to why situational and systemic effects have more to do with the occurrence of evil actions by groups than the character traits or psychological makeup of the individuals who participate in them. It’s based on social psychological research over the past 6 decades, including a close re-examination of Zimbardo’s famous Stanford Prison Experiment, and his work as a defense witness for one of the Abu Ghraib prison guards prosecuted by the military. Read it and you’ll see how the actions of those who created the situation (the war in Iraq) and the system for dealing with detainees in the war on terror (i.e., the highest officials in the Bush administration and the Pentagon) are ultimately and inevitably responsible for the abuse at Abu Ghraib and the other wartime atrocities by US forces in Iraq.
Ps. What are you reading this summer?
