Thoughts of a Psychology Student

So I know over the past couple of weeks, rumblings from North Korea have made their way across the Pacific Ocean to the USA raising concerns about the looming threat of nuclear war, and after watching a BBC Panorama on North Korea, it got me thinking… What psychology lies behind the mass hysteria and indoctrination that has engulfed North Korea and is eerily reminiscent of Adolf Hitler’s infamous Nuremberg Rallies in the 1930′s… Firstly, inevitably, we must address the nature of North Korea’s society which so clearly states that anyone attempting to oppose either Kim Il-Sung (Eternal Leader) or Kim Jong-un (Supreme Leader) has to be punished, either by exile to a political concentration camp or execution. Even doctors asking for more funding to buy medication for hospitals face death as a consequence of their actions. This oppressive society – reminiscent of George Orwell’s ’1984′ ministry-of-truth style novel – is such that people are forced to comply with state rules ...