Hitler

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

It might seem there is nothing more to be learned about Hitler and the Holocaust, but Victor (Invisible Men: Faces of Alienation) provides a psychotherapist's analysis of the personality disorders he deems responsible for the Fhrer's ruthless destruction of the Jews. Reviewing Hitler's childhood, the author concludes that Hitler hated himself and his father because he believed his father to be part Jewish and the Jews to be evil and likely to take over the world. Furthermore, his father cruelly abused young Adolf, with the result that Hitler craved revenge against what he thought to be the racial source of such cruelty. War allowed him to project his personal problems as Germany's problems, which he believed arose from supposed Jewish influence and led to the defeat in WWI and the national humiliation of the Treaty of Versailles. The author's psychoanalysis seeks to link many of Hitler's principal traits to the insecurity engendered by his upbringing by an abusive father and an overprotective mother: hypochondria, insomnia, procrastination, scapegoating, violence and ruthlessness. Hitler's obsession, Victor stresses, was so great that exterminating Jews superseded all else, including the attainment of military objectives; when forced to allocate scarce resources, the Nazi dictator devoted everything he could to advancing his obsession. Although using largely familiar data, Victor enables readers to view history from a new perspective while writing with a minimum of jargon. (Jan.)

Library Journal

Any student of World War II knows that Adolph Hitler was a complex and demon-ridden man. Victor, a Jewish psychotherapist dealing with personality disorders, argues that Hitler's troubled pathology has never been seriously studied because of fears that he might emerge as a guiltless and even sympathetic victim of forces beyond his control. In this painstaking analysis of Hitler's family background and childhood, supported by exhaustive study of his written and spoken utterances, the author makes a convincing case of how the German leader came to be deeply disturbed and shows how these findings manifested themselves in Hitler's social philosophy, leadership style, and, eventually, his fateful policy decisions. Less convincing is his contention that Hitler deliberately avoided quick victories over Britain and the Soviet Union to have time to complete the Holocaust. Even so, this is a fascinating and extremely lucid journey into the mind of one of the century's most pivotal figures.Raymond L. Puffer, U.S. Air Force History Prog., Edwards AFB, Cal.

Booknews

Parting company with several earlier scholars, psychotherapist Victor maintains that one can explain Hitler's personality without at the same time forgiving him or condoning his actions. In this psychohistory of the dictator, Victor uses data and concepts from various fields of social science. He asserts that Hitler was a deeply disturbed person who was troubled by nervous symptoms and was driven by self-hatred, guilt, and a desire to exact revenge for his father's abuse. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

From the Publisher

"Any student of World War II knows that Adolf Hitler was a complex and demon-ridden man. Victor, a Jewish psychotherapist dealing with personality disorders, argues that Hitler's troubled pathology has never been seriously studied because of fears that he might emerge as a guiltless and even sympathetic victim of forces beyond his control. In this painstaking analysis of Hitler's family background and childhood, supported by exhaustive study of his written and spoken utterances, the author makes a convincing case of how the German leader came to be deeply disturbed and shows how these findings manifested themselves in Hitler's social philosophy, leadership style, and, eventually, his fateful policy decisions. . . . This is a fascinating and extremely lucid journey into the mind of one of the last century's most pivotal figures."

"We know what Adolf Hitler did but still puzzle over why. Dr. George Victor comes as close to providing the answer as we are ever likely to get in this penetrating psychological profile of the Nazi demigod."

Hitler: The Pathology of Evil is a serious book that merits serious consideration. George Victor’s interpretations of Hitler’s puzzling wartime decisions, for example, are unique."

"The research . . . is thorough, the analysis is deep, and the resluts are of compelling interest . . . . Victor has drawn on child development, experimental and social psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, and anthropology. His blending of these social sciences with history is masterly, resulting in a deeper penetration than any work I know."

"Highly recommended."

“Highly recommended.”

“We know what Adolf Hitler did but still puzzle over why. Dr. George Victor comes as close to providing the answer as we are ever likely to get in this penetrating psychological profile. . . .”

“A serious book that merits serious consideration. George Victor’s interpretations of Hitler’s puzzling wartime decisions, for example, are unique.”