NCJ Number
138534
Date Published
1989
Length
395 pages
Annotation
The My Lai massacre in Vietnam and other events in which people committed illegal actions when ordered to do so by a military or political official or private sector employer are analyzed with respect to their nature and the public's attitudes toward them.
Abstract
The 1968 My Lai massacre was a military crime of obedience. Other crimes of obedience include the Watergate break-in, the Iran-Contra affair, the Nazi war crimes, and the Chrysler odometer case. These crimes demonstrate the processes of authorization, routinization, and dehumanization. Issues they raise include relationship between the duty to obey and the duty to disobey, and the nature and dynamics of authority. National surveys in 1971 and 1976 explored public reactions to the My Lai massacre as well as concepts of responsibility and obedience. The results suggested that a large proportion of the United States population would find it difficult to resist the expectation of obedience built into authority situations, particularly in the context of military combat. Findings also indicated individual differences and three general orientations to authority. Nevertheless, some encouraging signs and opportunities exist to promote the empowerment of citizens and to facilitate social norms that counter the dehumanization and other factors leading to crimes resulting from abuse of authority. Tables, footnotes, index, and 384 references