Re:Alice Miller on the Roots of Violence

Henry, thank you for posting Alice Miller's letter. The following passage expands on Miller's thesis from an Adlerian perspective:

"In addition to a developing inferiority feeling, young Adolf was subjected to pampering by his mother. Klara Hitler was Alois' [Adolf's father's] third wife. She had the responsibility of tending her husband's children while he was away for long periods of time. Her own pregnancies ended in miscarriages or infant deaths. Adolf was the first of her children to live, and until he was five, he was her only child. All the reliable evidence indicates that Klara spoiled Adolf and tried to protect him from unpleasant situations and his father.
What emerged from Adolf's stern but frequently absent father, and omnipresent, indulgent mother, was a childhood history of inconsistent parental expectation and action. During his fifth year, for example, the family lived in Germany and the father worked in Linz. A little over a year later, the senior Hitler retired and was usually home. At that point in time, Klara was a less effective shield against paternal wrath [incessant verbal abuse and physical punishment], for she had a new infant to take care of, and was pregnant with another. Shortly thereafter, Alois Jr. left home, and the young Adolf became the prime target for his father's rancor" (Brink, 1975, p. 26)

"By his own account, Hitler (p. 28) remained a lost individual until he joined the German army in World War I. Here he seems to have undergone a veritable personality transformation. He was the model soldier: never complaining, volunteering for dangerous missions, eager to rejoin his unit after being wounded. . . .

"Unfortunately, the military life-style is not well suited for the peaceful functioning of modern society. . . (p. 29).
"Another problem with military life is that it holds out as an ideal a kind of invincible and ruthlessly effective 'James Bond' figure. Such an idealization corresponds to what Adler has called 'masculine protest.' The self-image cultivated by Hitler was that of a superman fantasy. It is also significant that he launched into his rages whenever there was an implication of doubt concerning his person competence. . . .

"The genocide of the Second World War can also be explained as a product of this masculine protest. The plans for the 'final solution to the Jewish question' were formulated right after it had become apparent that the war was going to be lost. It was one way Hitler could feel victorious, even in defeat" (Brink, 1975, p. 30).

Brink, T. L. (1975). The case of Hitler: An Adlerian perspective on psychohistory. Journal of Individual Psychology, 31(1), 23-31.

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