Hatred: The Psychological Descent Into Violence

(Paperback)

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In Hatred, Dr. Willard Gaylin, one of America's most respected psychiatrists, describes how raw personal passions are transformed into acts of violence and cultures of hatred. Such hatred goes beyond mere emotion. Hatred, Gaylin explains, is a psychological disorder-a form of quasi-delusional thinking. It is designed to allow the angry and frustrated individual to disavow responsibility for his own failures and misery, by directing it towards a convenient victim. Gaylin dissects the mechanisms by which cynical political and religious leaders manipulate frustrated and deprived subject populations, leading to the acts of mass terror that threaten us all. The result is a brilliant analysis of the psychological pathway to acts of terrorism - an understanding that is essential to survival in a world filled with hate.

Reviews

"An ambitious, engrossing and partisan book that attempts to 'get into the head of the hater' and 'deconstruct his weapons'... Well-written and lucid prose." - Washington Times "An illuminating, chilling argument about the nature of hatred: It is not a political statement. It is a severe psychological disorder." - Philadelphia Inquirer"

Author Bio

Willard Gaylin, M.D. is a leading theoretician, educator, and practitioner in the field of psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. He is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and cofounder of the Hastings Center, the preeminent institute for the study of ethical issues in the life sciences. He is author of sixteen books, including Feelings, The Killing of Bonnie Garland, Rediscovering Love, and Talk Is Not Enough.