How Peer Approval Built the Hitler Youth
In 1938, a 10-year-old boy named Alfons Heck was at the top of a 10-foot-high diving board, surrounded by hundreds of older kids waiting for him at the bottom and a line behind him waiting to jump off next. Even though the drop was long, the winds were cold, and the risk was high, he jumped, and everyone cheered. That moment, he became a part of the Hitler Youth, and obtained his symbolic dagger with an engraved "blood and honor."
You might be thinking, how on earth could a 10-year-old be coerced into joining the Nazi party? But the reality is that by 1939, 90% of the children in Germany were one. The political drive was sly and used those adolescence' craving for approval against them.
Approval and Nazi Youth History
First and foremost, what drove the formation of kids wanting to join the Nazi Youth? It is quite simple; it was fun. These kids were able to play, train, learn and participate in enjoyable activities just like boy scouts. In fact, boy scouts and other related clubs were banned in Germany, leaving these adventure thirsty kids turning to Nazi Youth as their only option. But it also goes much deeper than that. The culture leverages these kid's need for approval to get them involved.
For example, the Nazi Youth was not run by adults; it was run by teenagers. This was a clever way to persuade younger kids to join because, after all, they wanted to be like the older kids, not like their parents. In addition, those children who were in the club were able to leverage authority. If they were in the club, and their parents were not on board with the political side of the effort, their own kids could report them. This was a perfect way for Hitler to have little spies, per se, in every home. Overall, the group was run on approval, and if anyone became out of line, they would be beaten and quite possibly stabbed by the daggers.
The only real competitor against the Nazi Youth was what is called the Edelweiss Pirates. This loosely formed group was certainly outnumbered between the 90% of other kids and adults, but they would tag anti-Nazi slogans all around and go against what the Nazi Youth stood for. Ultimately, it was a losing battle for them, and 6 of those pirates were hanged as a result of their retaliation.
The movie Saving Private Ryan is an excellent representation of the harsh world it was during Nazi and war, even showing a scene where the death of a Nazi Youth kid. It is actually debated that the soldier crying after his death was due to realizing that he had just killed a child, but that is debatable.
Another film you might want to check out would be JoJo Rabbit, which recently came out in 2019. In this film, you can see children given rocket launchers, and showing camps where children were taught Nazi culture. Though in the movie, adults were in charge, in real life, teenagers were policing themselves.
Myth 1: Children Who Whine for Attention Are Misbehaving
Any parent or caregiver of a toddler or young child knows how whining can feel unbearable sometimes. You tell your child to stop, yet they just keep doing it because they are getting your attention and approval, even though it is not positive.
So, why do they learn to whine? Because, according to New York Times - How Children Evolve to Whine, they learn as they grow that it is a lot easier and cheaper to get your attention by whining than doing something and putting in the effort to get a reaction out of you, such as drawing a picture. It is them trying to beat the system of getting approval without putting in work, and all kids do this and even animals such as Macaques.
What should parents do? Though self-soothing is said to work for some families, according to a Harvard study, trying to force your child to self soothe and ignoring their cries can cause PTSD when older. It tells them that when they need love, approval, and attention, it will not show up. This can last all the way through someone’s life.
To help your child healthily break this habit, ignore the behavior. If you react, even in a negative way, they are still getting your attention. When they do not get a response out of you at all, they will realize they will get nothing out of acting that way. According to Dr. Poltorak, ignore the whining when it is happening. When they calm down, say to them, “I love listening to you, I love to help you, let's practice using our nicest words to ask for help because when you cry, I won’t be able to help you.”
Myth: Teenagers Who Do Risky Things for Approval Are Morally Weak
Though teenagers do not act the same way as children, they still need approval too, but they learn to get it in riskier forms. For example, Hilter Youth encouraged kids to jump off a diving board, and they did it to get approval and impress. Teenagers today shoplift, drive recklessly and do "dumb" things with their friends for the same reason, to feel affirmed and have a sense of belonging.
From an evolutionary standpoint, teens are risk-takers because that would be an ideal mate. Those kids would be the ones who would hunt and not be scared to protect. Though it is not useful anymore, that DNA is still there today, keeping them wired to be risk-takers.
The Duke and Temple University did a study called Peer influences on Adolescent Decision Making. They found that after altering their methods and taking out crimes, teens who played an online racing computer game with spontaneous obstacles showing up were 50% riskier in their driving when they had someone else in the car with them. Adults, on the other hand, did not. Adults grew out of that risky behavior and started seeking approval in different ways.
Myth: Adults Should Know Better and Do Not Need Approval Anymore
We all have that coworker who sucks up to the boss, or that friend who is regularly posting on Facebook fishing for likes and hearts. Though it is not risky actions anymore, adults still need approval and seek it out in ways such as this. Insecurity is still there, jealousy does not disappear, and the need for approval will stick with every human until they die.
During the Solomon Asch Conformity Experiment, there was a room filled with actors, and one person being tested who was unaware the other people were actors. They all were presented with a whiteboard showing lines, with one clearly smaller than the others. When asking each actor which line was off, they all said the lines were the same, lying. When they got to the person being tested, despite knowing that the lines were not the same, he/she agreed that they were in fear of being the outlier of the group and getting disapproval.
As you can see, adults need approval, especially extroverts. For example, extroverts who use Facebook are more likely to crave that approval and frequently look for affirmations, which can cause anxiety and depression when they do not get it on social media.
Final thoughts
No matter what age you are, you need approval. No one is immune to it, and it is what makes us all human. We require that praise to feel good inside, and how we try to gain it could be harmful, which is what happened to Alfons Heck.
Overall, when it comes to doing something unsafe or joining a Nazi Youth group to fit in and gain that approval, always remember there are much healthier alternatives to fulfill that approval need that you, and every other human on earth has.
Written by Todd Lemense presented by Joe Anthony