Personality Correlates of Heroic Rescue During the Holocaust

Abstract

This study investigated the extent to which personality variables can be used to discriminate non-Jewish heroes of the Holocaust from bystanders and from a comparison group of prewar European immigrants who left their countries of origin prior to World War II. Eighty verified rescuers, 73 bystanders, and 43 immigrants were administered measures of locus of control, autonomy, risk taking, social responsibility, tolerance/authoritarianism, empathy, and altruistic moral reasoning. A three-group discriminant function analysis was able to correctly classify 80.2% of the sample by a combination of personality and demographic variables. When the bystanders and immigrants, who differed very little from each other, were grouped together and compared to the rescuers, the personality variables alone correctly classified 93.1% of the sample. Implications regarding the relationship between personality and altruistic behavior, as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.

The susceptible circle: A taxonomy of followers associated with destructive leadership

“…Individuals with an external locus of control tend to conform to the status quo and are less likely to report instances of ethical misconduct in organizations (Dozier & Miceli, 1985;Near & Miceli, 1996). They are also less likely to participate or help in high-risk settings (e.g., Bierhoff et al, 1991;Guagnano, 1995;Midlarsky, Fagin-Jones, & Corley, 2005;Midlarsky & Kahana, 1994;Oliner & Oliner, 1988). Luthans et al (1998) noted that many citizens of the former Soviet Union have internalized a sense of helplessness, as evidenced in their continued vulnerability to destructive leaders and failure to take control and escape their oppressive past.…”

“…Prior research on mass genocide, namely the Holocaust, indicates that, unlike bystanders, rescuers maintained a courageous-prosocial disposition characterized by increased levels of empathic concern, altruistic moral reasoning, social responsibility, and risk-taking (Fagin-Jones & Midlarsky, 2007;London, 1970;Midlarsky & Kahana, 1994;Midlarsky et al, 2005;Oliner & Oliner, 1988;Staub, 2005). Together, these characteristics form the backbone of valor, kindness, and self-sacrifice (Peterson & Seligman, 2004), and are believed to be necessary for helping in high stress situations involving the potential for high personal costs to the actor.…”

Testing a social-cognitive model of moral behavior: The interactive influence of situations and moral identity centrality.

“…Although some scholars have gone so far as to argue that moral behavior is totally determined by the situation (Doris, 1998;Harman, 2003), a substantial body of empirical research shows that stable individual characteristics also matter. Midlarsky, Fagin Jones, and Corley (2005) found that holocaust rescuers were distinguishable from a comparison group of bystanders on the basis of personality variables, including internalized altruistic values, a sense of social responsibility, and empathic concern. In another study, Walker and Frimer (2007) found that personalityrelated themes like agency and communion were more prevalent in the life narratives of moral exemplars-people who have been recognized for their moral actions-as compared against a demographically matched comparison group.…”

Intersectional Identities and the Politics of Altruistic Care in a Low-Income, Urban Community

“…That is to say, why do individuals voluntarily act to promote the well-being of others without request for, or expectation of, reward. A substantial body of social psychological research has demonstrated that altruism is motivated by humanistic ideology, personality, affect, and social modeling (e.g., Batson and Shaw 1991;Johnson et al 1989;Lee et al 2005;Mattis et al, under review;Midlarsky et al 2005;Oliner and Oliner 1988;Smolenska and Reykowski 1992;Underwood and Moore 1982). A smaller body of scholarship has highlighted the role of race, ethnicity, gender, and urbanicity in the development of altruistic forms of helping (e.g., Baron 1992;Becker, and Eagly 2004;Bridges, and Coady 1996;Butovskaya et al 2004;Zaleski 1992).…”