The Waffen SS: A SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

The Waffen SS (as part of the SS in general) is analyzed, & its essential ties with the SS are debated. The thesis that the Waffen SS did exist as an integral part of the SS is shown in the fact that "the larger SS ... provided its fundamental ideology & raison d'etre." Examination of the Waffen SS under this premise proves arduous due to its illogical character which tends to deny the accomplishment of "straightforward generalizations." However, when the dual character of the methodological principle which dictates structure & function to the organization is realized, analysis proceeds more easily. The 2 aspects of the principle are identified as the "Alice in Wonderland" rule, & the psychiatric model rule. These tenets are described & examined in detail as historical events are related, to provide context for the analysis. The power of the "social psychological realities" created for the man in the SS, & in particular in the Waffen SS, is underscored. C. Grindle.