In reading Bruno Bettelheim's "The Hitler Salute", the key conflict is between
ones inner self and ones outer self. A person may act a way they do not want to
depending on a situation. To avoid conflict, a person may feel the need to go beyond their
believes and morals when placed in uncomfortable situations. As I will explain in this
essay, the conflict of ones inner self versus their outer self occurs in many instances .
The Hitler salute was a prime example of people doing things to make lighter of
the situation. "If the situation forced him to salute, he immediately felt a traitor to his
deepest convictions. So he pretended to himself that it did not count." People convince
themselves all the time, when they do something they are not proud of, that they had to it
and it doesn't not count because of the position they were in . It may be easier for a
person to change who they are and what they believe in by conforming to the masses.
When placed in a dangerous situation, people become more apt to change. "Many times a
day, the anti-Nazi had to either become a martyr or abandon all self-respect." If
someones self pride and beliefs are so strong, they may not give in to the threat of danger.
People around the world have been killed when asked if they believed in God.
Bettelheim mentions his speaking to a young German lady whose father opposed
the Nazi movement . When forced to say the oath and do the Hitler salute in school, she
"mentally crossed her fingers". She felt that if she didn't mean what she was
saying then it did not count. Eventually it became too much for her to say and do things
that she did not want to. She eventually "gave up her mental reservations and swore
allegiance like anybody else". She was tried of not being able to be "her", so she changed
...