Group Polarization: Why Do People Justify Mass Murder?

There is no easy answer for why people kill. The reasons can span from political ties to different cultural upbringings, but the main reasons lie within the axons and dendrites of the brain. Psychology plays a huge role in explaining how and why one can justify mass murder in their minds. There is a phenomenon known as group polarization that can describe the reasons behind the extreme mindsets of the Nazis, Indonesian paramilitary forces, and members of the Hutu extremist group, akazu.

According to Renée Grinnell, group polarization is “a phenomenon wherein the decisions and opinions of people in a group setting become more extreme than their actual, privately held beliefs” (Grinnell). This can be seen in the mass marches and chants of the

Nazi soldiers under the Third Reich, led by nationalism and the fear of “not fitting in” which resulted in conformity. Conformity is the psychological term used to describe social influence where a change in belief occurs because of group pressure.

Nazi Germany during World War II had political efforts as well as cultural efforts. When one thinks of the Nazis they automatically remember the atrocities that occurred with the mass extermination of millions of Jews and other ethnic minorities. Were they just in killing so many innocent people? After losing World War I, the German people had to pay reparations and the economy plummeted. They had to find someone or something to blame. Hitler, being the brilliant politician that he is, gathered the masses in a Nationalistic effort by finding someone to blame. The German people finally found the reason behind their failures and they now had something to work together for. Many don’t realize this but Hitler used several psychological methods to rise to power. Without the utilization of a scape-goat and without group pressure, he wouldn’t have accomplished as much as he did.

Similar to the Jews in Nazi Germany, the Tutsis in Rwanda were not even seen as real people. In the eyes of the Nazi and Hutu majority, the Jews and Tutsis were in the way of National progress and were hence utilized as scape-goats in the effort to hold power and justify the mass killings. Growing up as a “scape-goat” can drastically affect how one thinks and feels. The genocide did not happen overnight; it was a prolonged effort of recruitment and organization. Politics was definitely involved, but there wouldn’t have been political struggle without the cognitive change of the people over time.

The story of how the Tutsi and Hutu people split all began with one entity: imperialism. The German and Belgian powers took control in the late 19th century and separated the fair skin, European looking people from the others. They installed this feeling of superiority for many, and thus began the split of people. The Tutsi and Hutu people are not different whatsoever ---biologically and culturally. However, when the Western powers split them, they each conformed and constructed extreme beliefs as a result of group pressure. While some may think politics and a difference in culture is a main reason of the mass killings, the true cause can be linked all the way back to the psychology of it all.

Before watching this documentary, I had virtually no idea of the horrors that the “communists” of Indonesia faced in the second half of the 20th century.

While watching the documentary, I noticed many psychological aspects. First of all, it seemed like everyone was conditioned to believe a certain way. For example, at one point in the movie everyone talked about the communists like they weren’t even human. This dehumanization method can be seen in many mass killings and genocides. When this happens, and society begins to learn this way of thinking, it is almost impossible to

revert.
Most political platforms in the country survive on bribery and other forms of criminal activity.

Indonesia thrives on gang activity and foolish men that don’t know the true definition of gangster. Also, the Indonesian gangsters or preman seem to be in constant denial of what happened decades ago. This denial is mostly because of the fact that no one really questioned them of their wrongdoings until now. When they sit and actually think about what happened and the endless families that they separated because of alleged communism, most realize what they did was wrong. Some on the other hand will not realize this because they were raised in that way of thinking and their minds are not as malleable anymore.

Something that is common between all of these genocides is the bystander effect. In psychology, the bystander effect “occurs when the presence of others discourages an individual from intervening in an emergency situation” (“Psychology”). From the German and Polish people not intervening in holocaust to the Indonesian gangsters rallying against the communists, without the mass number of psychosomatic people, none of this would have occurred like it

did.

The biggest question I kept asking myself was: “Do any of them feel sympathy?” In my opinion, since they grew up thinking this way and were never questioned, it isn’t entirely their fault. They had families, jobs, and orders to fulfill. Psychologically speaking, the Indonesian paramilitary, SS officers, and Hutu majority underwent social facilitation, where they didn’t believe they were doing anything wrong because of group effort. Nevertheless, they are still criminals for going through with such atrocities.

Mass murder will not stop. As long as people continue letting themselves get brainwashed, all of this will repeat in different scenarios. The Rwandan Genocide happened five decades after the Holocaust, but they both had very similar aspects. The only way to stop genocide is by educating people. Ignorance is not bliss, but rather an excuse to take innocent lives.