Prisoners of hate : the cognitive basis of anger, hostility, and violence

"Prisoners of Hate offers a profound analysis of a most pressing human challenge: the causes--and prevention--of hatred. Of the many important books Aaron Beck has written, this may be his greatest gift to humanity." --Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

World-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Aaron T. Beck has always been at the forefront of cognitive therapy research, his approach being the most rapidly growing psychotherapy today. In his most important work to date, the widely hailed father of cognitive therapy presents a revolutionary look at destructive behavior--from domestic abuse to genocide to war--and provides a solid framework for remedying these crucial problems.

In this book, Dr. Beck:

Illustrates the specific psychological aberrations underlying anger, interpersonal hostility, ethnic conflict, genocide, and war; Clarifies why perpetrators of evil deeds are motivated by a belief that they are doing good; Explains how the offenders are locked into distorted belief systems that control their behavior and shows how the same distortions in thinking occur in a rampaging mob as in an enraged spouse; Provides a blueprint for correcting warped thinking and belief systems and, consequently, undercutting various forms of hostility; and Discusses how the individual and society as a whole might use the tools of psychotherapy to block the psychological pathways to war, genocide, rape, and murder.

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A reflective consideration of the dysfunctional thinking that results in acts ranging from verbal abuse on the personal level to mass murder on the societal level, as well as suggestions for remedying these problems. Known as the father of cognitive therapy, Beck, professor emeritus of psychology at the Univ. of Penn. School of Medicine, finds parallels between violent reactions of troubled individuals to presumed wrongs, bombings by extremist militant groups, and acts of genocide perpetrated by states. In his psychotherapeutic work with patients, he observed a pattern of thinking that he describes as ``hostile framing,'' that is, perceiving the person one is in conflict with as dangerous and evil and the self as right and good. Such thinking locks the mind in a ``prison of hate'' in which a false image is mistaken for the real person. Beck calls such cognitive distortion ``primal thinking'' because it occurs in the earliest stage of information processing and also in the early developmental stage of children. When primal thinking pigeonholes adversaries as evil, even subhuman, creatures who deserve to be punished, the moral code against killing is weakened. Beck demonstrates how such cognitive errors have led to wife-beating, group rape, the Salem witch trials, the Oklahoma City bombing, the Holocaust, and genocide in Cambodia, Turkey, and the Soviet Union. The cognitive distortions that led to WWI get special attention. There is hope, however, says Beck, who argues that war is not inevitable and asserts that humans have an innate capacity for altruistic behavior to override hostile tendencies and for rational thinking to correct cognitive distortions. He argues that an understanding of individual psychology can provide the tools for developing corrective political and social programs, and he describes how these might operate in preventing child and spousal abuse, juvenile delinquency, and ethnopolitical violence. A provocative and most timely report in this era of ethnic cleansing abroad and high school shootings at home.

《圖書館雜誌》(Library Journal )書評

Noted as the founder of cognitive psychotherapy, Beck (emeritus, Pennsylvania State Univ.) here applies his work to greater social problems, from domestic violence to bigotry, crime, and war. Focusing on involuntary and usually unnoticed thought patterns, Beck's therapy emphasizes relearning. He wants patientsÄand, now, everyone from gang members to world leadersÄto examine their cognitions rationally with a view to decreasing hostility. Beck's approach is so sweeping that economic, geographic, and racial issues all can be subsumed under it, and he makes a strong case. However, he oversimplifies when he argues that anger, hate, and hostility are the same whether the conflict is between spouses or nations. Unfortunately, he gives short shrift to the constructive aspects of anger and chooses to ignore the psychology of nonviolence, though his approach is consistent with Gandhi's and King's. Still, Beck's broad scope; valuable summaries on prejudice, altruism, and political psychology; and optimistic, humane, and rational treatment of a vital subject recommend this for lay and professional readers.ÄE. James Lieberman, George Washington Univ. Sch. of Medicine, Washington, D.C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. ix
Part 1 The Roots of Hate
1 The Prison of Hate: How Egosism and Ideology Hijack the Mind	p. 3
2 The Eye ("I") of the Storm: The Egocentric Bias	p. 25
3 From Hurt to Hate: The Vulnerable Self-image	p. 40
4 Let Me Count the Ways You've Wronged Me	p. 55
5 Primal Thinking: Cognitive Errors and Distortions	p. 71
6 Formula for Anger: Rights, Wrongs, and Retaliation	p. 87
7 Intimate Enemies: The Transformation of Love and Hate	p. 105
Part 2 Violence: Individuals and Groups
8 Individual Violence: The Psychology of the Offender	p. 125
9 Collective Illusions: Group Prejudice and Violence	p. 143
10 Persecution and Genocide: Creating Monsters and Demons	p. 170
11 Images and Misperceptions in War: The Deadly Construction of the ENEMY	p. 197
Part 3 From Darkness to Light
12 The Brighter Side of Human Nature: Attachment, Altruism, and Cooperation	p. 227
13 Cognitive Therapy for Individuals and Groups	p. 249
14 Perspectives and Prospects: Applying Cognitive Approaches to the Problems of Society	p. 269
Notes	p. 289
Bibliography	p. 325
Index	p. 345

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