Name: Melisa Hilaire

Social psychology

Firstly, I would like to state that my life experiences are nothing compared to what
the prisoners encountered in the Nazi concentration camp. In life many people
especially me sometimes tend to do what people like so we can get accepted into
society just so we can survive or thrive in this world. Thankfully we don’t have to
go to the extent that the prisoners went through to survive for example: they had to
follow orders or else they would be lashed which result in sores and wounds which
may get infected by the filth they work in. The infection may worsen and cause
them to end up becoming sick and then dying an untimely death. I’ve had friends
who betrayed me just so they could get accepted by other people that they
considered better than me (survival of this world). This can be seen in the Nazi
concentration camp when the prisoners were prepared to use every means, honest
and otherwise, even brutal force, theft, and betrayal of their friends, in order to
save themselves.
As stated in the book “These prisoners look quite well, they seem to be in good
spirits and even laugh. Who knows? I might manage to share their favorable
position.” I have had circumstances in my life where I just wanted to give up but I
got the strength somewhere to put on a smile and fight through it, just like the
prisoners they were ill-treated, worked and lived in miserable conditions and still
got up everyday with a good spirit. The thought of seeing your family, loved ones,
and having life gives one strength to continue this journey.
It is seen in the book that during the second stage of prisoner's psychological
reactions they developed the emotion apathy. When someone has gone through
something repeatedly, they tend to not show emotions anymore for example when
the prisoners did not react to beatings anymore. I developed this stage when I was
growing up. In the Caribbean parents still discipline their children with wipes,
belts, or lashes when they disobey. After a certain time or age the children develop
apathy and this discipline strategy does not work anymore. The beatings were
painful but not compared to what the prisoners endured.
Lastly one of the experiences I can relate to is when the prisoner became angry or
annoyed when they were provoked by what is perceived as unfair treatment. Mr.
Frankl stated that the blood rushed to his head because he had to listen to a man
judge his life who had so little idea of it. Many people have belittled me because
they did not know my background and just simply assumed. When these
Name: Melisa Hilaire
Social psychology

individuals think little of you, they start treating you differently from everyone else
(of lower status). I can attest that this would really upset someone in this century.

Two episodes