Theories Of Genocide

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Kyle Ray Kapocius
This paper will present a review of literature which focuses on major theories that tend to explain the values and beliefs of individuals within a group and the group dynamics which influence the execution of violent acts against other human beings and humanity.
When examining political issues it is wise to examine the factors at hand that influence individuals to make the decisions they make. How do people perceive and understand the political world in which they live? How do factors such as emotions impact individual perceptions and information processing and how individuals respond to the information they have processed based on these factors? What motivates an individual or groups of individuals to act out with violence …show more content…
Personality

In most recent history, throughout the 20th century, the world has been exposed to regrettably horrific and inhumane atrocities committed upon humanity. These acts are acts of genocides. What are the factors which propel an individual and groups to commit an act such as genocide?
Genocide is an inhumane horrific action intended to eradicate human beings, purely on the basis of national, ethnic, racial or religious beliefs and origins. Genocide is an act committed against all of humanity. Genocide is a crime. The topic of genocide can be found in the study of political science, psychology, the social sciences, history and many academic research articles. Common to these various disciplines and in agreement is the proposition that genocide is most likely to occur in countries that are not operating with a modernist democratic government. As proposed by R.J. Rummel (2008), “Those governments that commit the most genocide have totalitarian governments, while those that committed lesser genocide have been partially or wholly authoritarian and dictatorial.” (p. …show more content…
This social cognitive categorization was based on information provided by a source of authority and received by the public without actual accurate knowledge. The people of Germany, based on the distorted information provided to them by Adolph Hiller, developed negative opinions and perceptions of the people of the Jewish community, in order to make sense of the chaos instilled by the effects in the aftermath of the war. In this manner, Adolph Hitler, stereotyped the Jewish people as the cause for despair and the loss of World War I, as portrayed to the people of Germany. A modern day example of this can be seen in the current serotyped images of the United States towards Iraq. According to Alexander, M., Levin, S., & Henry, P., (2005), “Images, or stereotypes of other nations, stem from perceived relationships between nations and serve to justify a nation’s desired reaction or treatment towards another nation” (p.29). In this manner, the inaccurate perceptions the Germans held of the Jewish people led to inhumane treatment of this select group of people, based primarily on stereotypical beliefs, which were influenced by their leader, Adolph
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