PSYCH218 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Mass Production, Bush Doctrine, Moral Relativism
Document Summary
The psychological experience of security officers who work with executions. (osofsky) Interviews conducted with the execution team in lousiana. Not many are depressed, rely on religious beliefs, group identity, administrative support, and their capacity to dissociate and rely on diffusion of responsibility to suppress painful emotions. There are conflicts between the death penalty, some say eye for eye, some say no. Worry for economic discrimination or racist tendencies, etc. Also controversy over how inmates can spend 20 years on death row before death and can be rehabilitated. Execution is mechanical, impersonal, and ultimately dehumanizing. gathered demo and back ground info, explored 1) execution experience (roles, etc. ) 2) stresses related to job/coping methods 3) support networks and 4) aftermath for officer. Some have been there for years and done many of the 26 killings, but most have just done 1-4. Warden- agent of wrath as signal for switch, hates because god should only have the role to decide when man dies.