Nazi psychologists

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I remember hearing somewhere that Jews in German concentratin camps were offered councelling to make them feel better, specifically Jews who were about to be gassed. I even heard that a lot fo Jews were really thankful to them because they really made their life so much easier!! ! I was just curious just what did the councelors tell them? The only possible thing that I can think of is to encourage them how they can still have a hope in the world to come. But you see, as Nazis, don't they think that Jwes all go to hell when they die? So did they like LIE to the Jews that they disagree with what Hitler thinks? If such is the case, how did they explain to the Jews why Hitler hired them? Or else perhaps they tried to just tell them to enjoy every moment of their life untill they are gassed? And by the way, as their supposed "friends" who are "on their side", how did they explain why they didn't want to hide them from Nazis or let them out of the camp?

I never heard of this. Source?

There was a form of suicide watch in the concentration camps but not much else. Suicide was, not surprisingly, a huge problem. If you want details I'd suggest reading Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. He was a psychotherapist who survived Auschwitz.

Why would they prevent suicides if thats their purpose anyway? Won't if make it easier if some suicidal Jews will do the job FOR Nazis by killing themselves?

True, but the Nazis would have prefered to do the killing themselves.

That seems really counter to what I would expect of the Nazis... Ditto on Cindy's SOURCE question, if that is at all possible.

A Source would be helpful.

I don't remember the source. I jsut vaguely remember either reading it online or hearing somewhere like few years ago.

Are you sure it wasn't a joke article? Sounds like total BS to me.

The way I remember it it wasn't a joke. It was trying to emphasize supportive side of it and the way Jews were thankful to them.

Roman, the really strange part about this whole counselor idea is that there really wouldn't be anyone to actually give an account, that is if the only ones that were counseled were the Jews that were about to be gassed(?)

By "about to be gassed" I mean like they would be gassed in less than a month or something of that nature.

You should remember that they didn't gas all Jews at ones. They would first use up all the strenth they have to perform some heavy labor work and then oncce they can no longer be used, they go ahead and gas them. So, the Jews taht were going to be gassed could have shared their counceling experience with their friends who weren't gassed yet, and then some of their friends will be survivors.

Interesting...

I think the most disturbing thought for me, when I look through history books that speak about the Nazi War Camps and the German Concentration Camps is this; the Germans that were guards in the Concentration Camps may have been like any of us....they felt they were doing the right thing and were being loyal to their country. Many had families and loved ones and probably hated being there as much as the prisoners did. There were sadistic and cruel guards I'm sure but I think about the ones that were just too scared perhaps to speak up and say "No, this is Wrong" because they would have been killed just as quickly as the prisoners that were insubordinate.

Another haunting thought is this. Some of the prisoners would turn on each other if they felt they were going to be killed. Some of the prisoners did many horrible things just to stay alive. (source: Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl)

I suppose it haunts me because I wonder how far I will let my government push me into doing things that I know (in my heart) is wrong and what type of creature I would become just to save my own skin and survive another day, especially if I was cold, starving and desparate?

How's that for overthinking a subject?

It's not overthinking to me. I often wonder about the same kinds of things myself.

I don't think such acts of desperation are necessarily morally wrong. Self-preservation is a very strong instinct. Why is it better to die to save somebody else, for example? Why does another's life have more intrinsic value that one's own? And if you are forced into a situation where the only way to protect yourself and your family is cruelty and indifference - where many of the low-ranking guards found themselves - who's to judge them as hideously evil as they may seem on the surface?

Well for one thing, numbers are different. Each individual guard could sacrifice his own life to save like 20 different Jews by letting them all out.