The Psychology of Adolf Hitler

The Psychology of Hitler

It is no surprise to very few that Adolph Hitler is one of the most infamous humans ever to have been born. To this day, the mention of his name can conjure up emotions deep within us. He is responsible for the deaths of millions of people either directly or indirectly. The fascinating aspect of his life is what was the true motivation behind his prejudice, cruelty, and heartlessness. The next logical speculation for most would be his upbringing or that he was physiologically unstable, more logically it was a combination of the two. However, before that conclusion can be made the history of his environment as well as how heredity could have influenced him.

Hitler's father, Alois Schicklgruber, was the illegitimate son of Maria Anna Schicklgruber and an unknown mate. Maria worked in the home of a wealthy Jewish family, the speculation is that one of the sons in this family got her pregnant. This obviously would lead to Hitler having a paternal Jewish Grandfather. Alois eventually became a civil servant and a well-respected customs official. Once he attained that position, he changed his name from Schicklgruber, his mother's name, and takes his Uncle's surname of Hiedler. However, in the record books it was misspelled; Hitler is what it became.

Eventually, Alois Hitler married Klara Polzl and fathered Adolf Hitler who was born on April 20, 1889 and baptized Roman Catholic. Hitler's father was very strict, physically and verbally abusive. Hitler also attended a monastery for a time and considered a life of priesthood. The relationship between Hitler and his father was full of turmoil, especially in regards to what his career path would be. He wanted to be an artist; his father wanted h...

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...t messed up. There are many people in this world that have been though much worse as children and surpassed their childhood and become very strong and good people. Therefore, I do not believe in excusing his behavior on a strange childhood when in actuality it was probably quite comparable to most at the time. The bottom line is that his developmental growth was affected by his childhood, but it was also affected by hereditary, his environment, and more than likely a chemical imbalance which prevented him from understanding right from wrong and consequences of his actions. Or, perhaps Hitler was unable to get over the fact that Jewish doctor could not save his mother's life.

Reference:

www.remeber.org

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocid=10114

www.bofhlet.net/tasteless/13/born.htm