Free will in total institutions: The case of choice inside Nazi death camps

Jonathan Davidov, Zvi Eisikovits

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Nazi death camps, as any total institutions, were designed to deny any free will or choice from inmates. Furthermore, former inmates in such extreme conditions often account for their own actions and behavior in such settings as inevitable ("I had no other choice"). This study examines the questions of free will vs. determinism in death camps from a descriptive-phenomenological perspective. Data was collected through in-depth interviews with 20 former death camp inmates. The following themes emerged from the qualitative analysis of the data: the 'selection' experience; 'borrowed time' perception; and the experience of 'nothingness'. A conceptual model grounded in these data was developed to illustrate the inmate's lived experience of choice in the reality of the camps. Analysis of the model indicates that under the extreme conditions of the death camp, free will and existence are interchangeable: "I choose - therefore I am".

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)87-97
Number of pages11
JournalConsciousness and Cognition
Volume34
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Jul 2015

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier Inc.

Keywords

  • Choice
  • Free will
  • Phenomenology
  • Total institutions

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology

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