Free adaptation of the homonymous book by Aaron T. Beck
Terrorist organization
Al Qaeda, ETA,…
Acts of collective violence are not possible without the cooperation of followers, bureaucrats (sometimes) and -quite often- ordinary citizens. (Paul Hollander)
Structured herd hate
Example: Neo-Nazi organisation
The aggressors are firmly entrenched in the belief that their cause is a just one.
Source: in-house
Unstructured herd hate
Example: Persecuting Afghans in Italy
The shared banality of evil.
Source: in-house
Individual hate: Lone wolves
They renounce rationality and become prisoners of primitive and dysfunctional thoughts and over-simplified images that lead to scorn for the human identity of the victims.
Verbal aggression against specific
people: slander, harassment, insults,…
The victims are interchangeable, dehumanised, the projected image is attacked, but real people are hurt.
Attacks on property: graffiti, against symbols…
The hostility starts with the perception of the transgression and ends with a real attack.
Mental prejudice
Being unable to handle frustration is a particularly common cause of hostility. Our beliefs and systems for processing information play a decisive role in defining our feelings/sentiments.
Use of generic language
Biased or distorted thinking and perceptions are imprisoned within a mental vice that tightens depending on the real or imagined threat. This rigid framework is responsible for much of the hate and violence we suffer.