Why we hate : understanding, curbing, and eliminating hate in ourselves and our world / Rush W. Dozier, Jr.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dozier, Rush W.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hate.

Physical Description:

xiv, 336 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Chicago : Contemporary Books, [2002]

Summary:

Based on insights from extensive scientific research, this book examines the biological origins and manifestations of this most toxic of human emotions and shows nine specific steps to take to combat it.

Contents:

1. Scientific Insights into the Nature of Our Emotions 1

The Anatomy of Hate 5

The Significance of Meaning 10

An Evolutionary View of Hate: The Fight-or-Flight Response 15

Self-Hatred 22

2. Preventing and Eliminating Hate 27

Strategies to Prevent and Eliminate Hate 31

Resistance to Change 36

3. The Binary Instinct 39

Us Versus Them 41

Other Binary Categories 43

Shifting to an Us-Us Perspective 47

4. The Reptile Within 49

The Reptomammalian Impulse to Kill 53

Understanding the Evolutionary Levels of the Brain 57

How Complex Language, Thought, and Emotion Influence the Primitive Mind 61

5. War and Genocide 69

Rationalizing Genocide 73

Human Evolution: The Arrival of the Modern Human Mind 75

The Emergence of Large-Scale Warfare 79

6. The Primitive Mind 83

Cro-Magnon Art 85

Language 87

The Rise of Civilization 91

Consciousness: Source of Self-Awareness and Self-Hatred 93

Human Social Organization 96

The Drive for Meaning 98

7. Self-Hatred, Self-Esteem, and Suicide 105

Reacting to Helplessness 106

Consciousness of Human Mortality: "The Ultimate Concern" 109

Mood Disorders 109

Self-Hate and Eating Disorders 122

Addressing the Problem of Self-Hate 130

8. Sexism, Racism, and Other Cultural Phobias 133

When Hate Blends with Fear 135

The Status of Women 137

The Core Elements of Hate 139

The Role of Genetics and the Fiction of Race 141

9. How Hate Messages Are Spread Throughout the Modern World 157

Hate on the Internet 157

How Purveyors of Hate Reach the Masses 160

Lone Wolves and Militia Organizations 161

10. The Toxic Workplace 165

Workplace Shootings 168

Predicting Violent Behavior 170

Stress and Control 173

11. Love-Hate Relationships 185

The Brain's Maps of the Body 187

Human Sexual Behavior 189

Establishing and Maintaining Pair Bonds 192

The Mix of Love and Hate 199

12. Children and Hatred 203

Humans' Extended Childhood 207

The Result of a Negative Early Environment 212

Emotional Shutdown 213

Warped Meaning Systems 214

Media 214

Gender Differences 218

13. Stereotyping, Categorizing, and Generalizing 221

Hate Contagion 223

Seven Characteristics of the Primitive Mind 228

The Neural Systems' Struggle for Control 233

The Hate Trap 234

14. Seeking Justice, Not Vengeance 237

Justice Under the Rule of Law 238

When the Rule of Law Is Not Effective 241

A Cycle of Vengeance 244

Breaking the Cycle of Vengeance and Violence 248

15. Empathy, Understanding, and Forgiveness 253

Erasing Us-Them Distinctions 255

Narcissism 263

Developing Empathy as a Step Toward an Us-Us Perspective 267

Apologies Are a Step in the Right Direction 272

16. An Enlightened Future 275

The Significance of Environment 277

Transforming the Global Culture 280

The Scientific Vision 282

What a More Enlightened Future Would Include 288

The Importance of Perceptive Leaders 290.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 293-322) and index.

ISBN:

0809224836

OCLC:

49627725