The Psychology of Hate

Hate is among the most powerful of human emotions—it has caused great sorrow and suffering—and yet it has been understudied by psychologists.

After the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis in World War II, the expression "Never Again" became a familiar refrain. Yet, during the last half of the twentieth century and the beginning of the current decade, society has witnessed staggering numbers of brutal and hateful acts.

News sources are filled with reports of Palestinians attacking Jews and Jewish settlers attacking Palestinians, white supremacist groups murdering members of minority groups, religious zealots killing doctors who perform abortions, teenagers violently clashing with their classmates, genocide in Rwanda and mass killing in Bosnia, and the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. These are not random or sudden bursts of irrationality, but rather, carefully planned and orchestrated acts of violence and killing. Underlying these events is a widespread and hazardous human emotion: hate.

The Psychology of Hate is a ground-breaking book that brings together experts on the psychology of hate to present their diverse viewpoints in a single volume. The contributors address a set of questions that include: How do you conceptualize hate and what evidence is there for this conceptualization? What do you see as the role of hate in terrorism, massacres, and genocides? How can hate be assessed?

In addition, this volume provides concrete suggestions for how to combat hate, and attempts to understand the minds both of those who hate and those who are hated.