| Autor: |
Caspar, Emilie A. |
| Předmět: |
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| Zdroj: |
Journal of Perpetrator Research (JPR); 2024, Vol. 6 Issue 2, p105-144, 40p |
| Abstrakt: |
In this study, I present the results of interviews with forty-nine former genocide perpetrators from Rwanda and fifty-one former members of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to better understand motivations and desistance for participating in mass atrocities. I contrast these qualitative interviews with experimental research from psychology and neuroscience to offer an interdisciplinary approach to better understand their participation. The findings from the interviews show that a vast majority of respondents identified obedience to authority as a primary factor in their involvement. Many also cited the significant influence of group dynamics, particularly in Rwanda where many murders were carried out by armed groups. These reports align with two main forms of social influence: obedience to authority and conformity. Research in psychology and neuroscience had shown that obeying orders or conforming to a group can strongly alter our behaviors by affecting several brain processes. When questioned about desistance, a majority from both groups conceded that without intervention from an external military force, they would not have stopped participating on their own. This finding may be pivotal as it emphasizes the necessity of external intervention to stop mass atrocities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Databáze: |
Complementary Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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