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Evil: Inside Human Violence and Cruelty
Article in Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.) · March 1997
DOI: 10.1176/ps.48.3.404
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BOOK
REVIEWS
Jeffrey L. Geller,
Evil:
Inside
Human
Violence
and
Cruelty
by Roy F Baumeister,
Ph.D.; New York City, W H. Freeman
1996, 4l7pages, $24.95
though
sidened
and Company,
W. Jerome,
cussed
W
is there
Ph.D.
selectively,
evil?
resonates
with
The
more
emic
curiosity.
People
this issue because
when
cruelty
are
one’s
the
than
acad-
struggle
violence
encountered
fundamental
The
question
with
and
in daily
life,
assumptions
about
world
are challenged.
Roy
Baumeister’s
book
second
phenomenon,
“myth
ofpune
evil,” is the contention
that there
are people
and forces
that
seek to do harm,
without
motive,
to
innocent
victims-gratuitously
riving
enjoyment
the roots of evil, offering
an examination of the subject
apart from moralistic musings.
When
evil acts are en-
ed by individuals,
bigion.
countered,
magnitude
moral
response.
with
is a natural
Identification
the victim’s
tomatic.
and
point
this
the
vantage
point,
seeking
essential
his
nature
of evil.
task,
Baurneister
incorporates
historical,
psychological
reader
to
political,
factors
as
are au-
urges
discern
the
To accomplish
well
empathy
ofview
Baumeister
beyond
as
outrage
into
examining
and
the analysis
the
a highly
producing
readable
volume.
Evil is a construct
that is prone
to
stereotyping
and exaggeration.
Baumeisten
carefully
phenomena
that
derstanding
outlines
two related
limit an accurate
un-
of
through
evil.
which
“magnitude
gap.”
describes
the
the importance
victim
The
lens
likely
to
have
place.
\Vhat
has
been
and is considered
may be a relatively
the
perpetrator.
meister,
evil
moves
sketching
interesting
by
lustrate
his points.
value
by his frequent
Hawaii
404
State
is chief
Hospital
of the
rather
research.
points
the
to il-
the
book
is corn-
use of anecthan a reliance
For instance,
out the necessity
robe that victims
one,
but
the
case.
He
asserts
that
being
instances
harmed
of innocent
are relatively
the
of the
Rather
may
does
the
shades
has taken
for
Baube-
of psychology
in Kaneohe.
at
in the
than
bean
perpetuation
cycle.
is potentially
This
providing
out
of their
consideration
victims’
rare.
statistics
his assertion,
au-
that
Baumeis-
tend
they
of
many
are
counts
of muggings,
incest,
burglary,
and societal
oppression
that would
support
the opposite
belief.
That
is
the danger
of anecdotal
evidence.
In addition,
Baumeister’s
assentions
often
rely on generalizations,
simplistic
definitions,
and flawed
logic, which
reduces
the viability
of his
rather
than
confirming
them,
even
when
the essence
of an
argument
has an intuitive
validity.
Al-
discordant
style
when
he denounces
unrealistically
themselves
is
attacked,
they
high
and
when
respond
with
retaliation.
a deeper
these
troubling
meisten
arbitrarily
characteristics,
labels
this
of traits as “high
ing so, he lumps
character
styles.
from
ity
locus
who
self-esteem
in the
are
Not
this
is seen
aimed
does
factor
instances.
PSYIllATRIC
that
black
is being
. March
commucon-
causality
the issue,
1997
and
but
that
is
the
the
discussed
author
to the complexities
SERVKES
with
pride
Baumeisten
The
in
toward
not demonstrate
labeled
self-esteem
same
with
rise
to coincide
at raising
in the
only
both
allude
view
a sharp
fuse
correlation
with
markedly
oversimplify
he does
variable
causal
of evil.
violence
self-esteem
nity.
declared
that
an
a well-
ofself.
An abflourishing
of
supports
indictment
and
and
perpetuation
Baumeister
Caucasians
movements
maintain
of control
integrated,
stable sense
sence
of guilt and the
high
Baucluster
individuals
with
and grandios-
individuals
internal
Rather
analysis
of
self-esteem.”
In dotogether
discrepant
He does not signifi-
cantly
discriminate
narcissism,
sociopathy,
agents
ac-
of con-
disproportionate
than presenting
African-American
are
a nationabis-
at the expense
to have
opinions
sitions.
there
stance
More-
self-esteem
as a major
component
of
evil. Again,
Baumeister
begins
with
an interesting
point
for consideration:
that people
who
commit
evil
the
Certainly,
passive
States.
instances
is noted
ten cites personal
stories
and anecdotab accounts
as proof for these suppo-
arguments
Jerome
stories
evil
it. In a lat-
however,
when the author
the tyranny
of China,
he
The
author’s
most disturbing
acts
along
the
holder.
Dr
book
Unfortunately,
scientific
Baumeisten
of considering
work.
the
promised
dotal evidence
on empirical
the nature
stance.
It is
a valid
traumatic
eye
of Baumeisten’s
strength
Baumeister
ofcondoning
in several
overstates
surmises
is in the
the
effect
over,
thor
evil I)y the victim
minor memory
for
So,
and confront
an objective
are
a satisfying
perpetuating
the
between
act to the
substantial
emotional
response
than
perpetrator.
The discrepancy
the interpretation
of what
to reevaluate
of evil from
the
en chapter,
condemns
sistency.
myth
sup-
and
in
not discuss
the
by the United
violent
imfor
has
thereby
evil as defensive
strategies
enabling
people
to separate
“us” from “them”
and
find
reassurance
when
evil
threatens
a comfortable
world
view.
This perspective
presses
the reader
the
together
does
taken
play
who has been
or violent
event
a more
presents
sivity
tic bias
and
they
way.
Consequently,
contradictions
and loose threads
abound.
For example,
Baumeisten
speaks
in
one chapter
about
the danger
of responding
passively
to an evil act. Pas-
of pure
gap
are conare dis-
assertion,
re-
own
of
is
cleanly
and
may
The
greater
Someone
of a cruel
are inflicted.
This
of evil is perpetuatmedia,
pulled
and
gap
importance
victim.
victim
suffering
is the
magnitude
discrepancy
of an evil
the
first
is filtered
same act for the perpetrator.
portance
is almost
always
the
the
and
The
evil
the
the
Baumeister
perpetna-
tor’s point ofview.
He combines
provocative
inquiry
with colorful
stories,
de-
from
and
chaos
that
perennial
image
explores
the
issues
they
when
a particular
not
M.P.H.
many weighty
in this book,
port
Leigh
M.D.,
in
does
not
inherent
in
Vol.
48
No.3
BOOK
class
struggle,
address
nomic
forces,
or entertain
explanations.
by
He
defining
this
eco-
United
alternative
muddles
high
equaling
inflated,
istic self-evaluations
up
global
the
issue
self-esteem
as proof
that
concludes
efforts
to
that
raise
as bong
and
raises
will have
a
violence.
some
the author
objectivity
high
thoughtful
himself
sternly
counsels,
is paramount
in the consid-
there
are
in
the
ows
the value
of
the
of Baumeisten’s
book.
Psychiatric
areas
of
on violence
jor
recent
are
edited
thors.
broad
Press,
of
Violence
interesting,
is cleanly
not overly
techni-
cab, and well organized.
The singleauthor
format
affords
a continuity
of
writing
style that is absent
in most mabooks
on
works
The book
audience
violence,
with
and
those
the justice
system
who
to the
of
search
which
multiple
au-
will be ofinterest
including
both
professionals
ings
D. C., American
productive
research
Neurobiology
written,
tnoduced
Neurobiology
of Violence
by/an Volavka, M.D., Ph.D.; Washington,
1995, 398pages,
$54
most
of the last 20 years.
his
as
enation
of this difficult
topic.
In the
end, the preponderance
offlawed
logic and selective
reasoning
overshad-
self-esteem
all
neurobiological
and provocative
questions,
and
stories
are compelling.
However,
self-esteem
leads
to increases
in
rape,
violence,
and evil in general.
He
the country
of crime
Baumeister
as
fragile,
and unrealand then
holds
definition
States,
rate
high
REVIEWS
main
recent
to a
health
involved
wish
with
to be in-
topics
and
find-
neurobiological
ne-
on violence.
Reference
Dale
S
McNlel,
E.
cientific
Ph.D.
1.
understanding
topics.
briefly
of biobogi-
cal aspects
of aggressive
has
grown
substantially
behavior
recent
in
been
years.
In this single-author
book, Dr.
J an Vobavka reviews major areas of nesearch
in the neurobiology
of violence.
Dr. Vobavka is well qualified
for
the task,
on the
having
topic
He brings
published
perience
ing ofthe
by
than
extensive
ex-
tions
chapters
of
cover
of
and
gy to understanding
research
incbuding
impulse
choactive
control
the
sometimes
au-
and
ing
disorders
problems,
abuse,
vio-
more
mains,
psy-
and violent
psychopharmacological
such
View publication stats
research
is associate
adjunct
in the department
University
and
as
neurotransmitters
personality
disorders,
productive.
This
PSYH1ATRIC
SERVKES #{149}
March
derstanding
professor
ofpsychi-
of California,
Vol.
limited
has
book
which
has
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neglects
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specific
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Danny
P
Wedding,
albone
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Box Criminal
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3
posit
violence
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violence
he does
touch
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Aggression
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In
short, the authors
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a significant
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Nathaniel
one book cannot
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Dr. Vobavka curiously
omits the recent
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is discussed.
chapter
covers
several
major
atry
authors
Demography,
Phenomenology
criminology
However,
Of course,
ofpsychology
generalizations
Neuropsy-
chology,
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nity.
Di: McNiel
He
Aggression:
summarizes
of the areas
in
body of knowledge
treatment
Each
to
findings.
plague
behavior
of mentally
disordered
persons in the hospital
and in the commuFinally,
of reand
consideration
simplistic
psy-
Science
Criminal
Tinder-Box
does
trovensial
to link
personality
substance
research
social
homicide.
a few
As Dr. Vobavka
acknowledges,
nesearch
on violence
has been impeded
by the absence
of a general
unified
on psychopathology
lence,
and
book
halfofthe
author
developissues.
The
thor then reviews
congenital,
mental,
and demographic
remaining
giving
that
neurology,
The
to
The
are primarily
identified
with
ban biological
on psychosocial
proaches
to violence.
electrophysiobo-
violence.
leading
and weaknesses
area is balanced
conflicting
M: Evolutionary
repre-
His presentation
thoughtful,
M, Wilson
followed
on three
information.
avoids
contribu-
neurochemistry,
neunopsychobogy,
studies,
of the strengths
search
in each
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a discussion
definition
and classification
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followed
by a lucid
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detailed
and a depth
of understandclinical
aspects
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and treatment
of violent
The book begins
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focus
not attempt
to make a detailed
review
ofthe literature
in any ofthe
areas, but
he references
such
reviews
for the
reader
interested
in more specific
and
20 years.
research
the
Daly
chology
and
family
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domain,
Dr. Volavka
main issues that have
description
sentative
summary
extensively
for more
both
In each
describes
un-
based
he largely
research.
on nearly
Palbone
nessy are professors
respectively,
Rutgers
and
James
of psychology
University
Henat,
and
Dr Wedding
is professor
ofpsychiatry
at
the School ofMedicine
at the University
of
Missouri-Columbia
and
director
of the
Missouri
Institute
ofMental
Health
in St.
Louis.
405