"Our language obscures awareness of personal responsibility."
"Communication is life-alienating when it clouds our awareness that we are each responsible for our own thoughts, feelings and actions."
In her book "Eichmann in Jerusalem" which documents the war crimes trial of Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann, Hanna Arendt quotes Eichmann saying that he and his fellow officers had their own name for the responsibilty-denying language they used. They called it "Amtssprache", loosely translated into english as "office talk" or "bureaucratese." For example, if asked why they took a certain action, the response would be, "I had to." If asked why they "had to," the answer would be, "Superiors" orders." "Company policy." "It was the law."
We deny responsibility for our actions when we attribute their cause to factors outside ourselves:
- Vague, impersonal forces- "I cleaned my room because I had to."
- Our condition, diagnosis, or personal or psychological history.-
"I drink because I am an alcoholic."
- The actions of others- "I hit my child because he ran into the street."
- The dictates of authority- "I lied to the client because the boss told me to."
- Group pressure- "I started smoking because all my friends did."
- Institutional policies, rules, and regulations- "I have to suspend you for this infraction because it´s the school policy."
- Gender roles, social roles, or age roles- "I hate going to work, but I do it because I am a husband and a father."
- Uncontrollable impules- "I was overcome by my urge to eat the candy bar."
from: "Nonviolent communication, a language of life."
Marshall B. Rosenberg
