Genocide has tragically claimed the lives of over 262 million victims in the last century. Jews, Armenians, Cambodians, Darfurians, Kosovons, Rwandans, the list seems endless. Clinical psychologist Steven K. Baum sets out to examine the psychological patterns to these atrocities. Building on trait theory as well as social psychology he reanalyzes key conformity studies (including the famous experiments of Ash, Millgram and Zimbardo) to bring forth an understanding of identity and emotional development during genocide. Baum presents a model that demonstrates how people's actions during genocide actually mirror their behaviour in everyday life: there are those who destruct (perpetrators), those who help (rescuers) and those who remain uninvolved, positioning themselves between the two extremes (bystanders). Combining eyewitness accounts with Baum's own analysis, this book reveals the common mental and emotional traits among perpetrators, bystanders and rescuers and how a war between personal and social identity accounts for these divisions.

A chilling examination of how genocide divides us into perpetrators, rescuers and bystanders.

About the Author
Steven K. Baum is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Mexico. He is the author of What Matters Most? (2006) and From the Inside Out (2007).

Reviews
'A combination of contemporary and historical examples brings Baum's thesis to life, helping to possibly explain major events of the past and guide us to a better understanding of the challenges of the present.' Jeff Rudski, Muhlenberg College



Book Information
ISBN 9780521713924
Author Steven K. Baum
Format Paperback
Page Count 268
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 440g
Dimensions(mm) 227mm * 152mm * 15mm