The perpetrators viewed those tortured not as human beings, but as objects. Committing heinous and degrading crimes takes away their sense of integrity. It strips them of their conscience, belittling their morality. Harming others can harm oneself. The tormentors, once patriotic citizens, become sadists. Studies of those who torture provide insight into how step-by-step training “can transform ordinary people into people who can and will torture others” (Costanzo, Gerrity, and Lykes 14). Torturers, abandoning their moral institutions, become accustomed to the act of hurting another human being. Their actions are justified and they are given the authority to carry out these crimes. On the other hand, if terrorists do not engage in acts of torture, they may claim to have higher moral institutions for their actions. If they did not commit these crimes, they could assert moral dominance over those who commit them. Neglecting moral standards is harmful to those who inflicted them and to those who committed them