War Is Not Inevitable (eBook)

On the Psychology of War and Aggression

Henri Parens (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2014
280 Seiten
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-0-7391-9529-1 (ISBN)

Infos

In this book, author Henri Parens discusses and documents the core psychodynamics that lead groups to war. Detailing some of the psychodynamics that led from World War I to World War II and their respective aftermath, Parens addresses how major factors that gave rise to these wars must, can, and have been counteracted.

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In 1932 Einstein asked Freud, ';Is there any way of delivering mankind from the menace of war?' Freud answered that war is inevitable because humans have an instinct to self-destroy, a death instinct which we must externalize to survive. But nearly four decades of study of aggression reveal that rather than being an inborn drive, destructiveness is generated in us by experiences of excessive psychic pain. In War is Not Inevitable: On the Psychology of War and Aggression, Henri Parens argues that the death-instinct based model of aggression can neither be proved nor disproved as Freud's answer is untestable. By contrast, the ';multi-trends theory of aggression' is provable and has greater heuristic value than does a death-instinct based model of aggression. When we look for causes for war we turn to history as well as national, ethnic, territorial, and or political issues, among many others, but we also tend to ignore the psychological factors that play a large role. Parens discusses such psychological factors that seem to lead large groups into conflict. Central among these are the psychodynamics of large-group narcissism. Interactional conditions stand out: hyper-narcissistic large-groups have, in history, caused much narcissistic injury to those they believe they are superior to. But this is commonly followed by the narcissistically injured group's experiencing high level hostile destructiveness toward their injury-perpetrator which, in time, will compel them to revenge. Among groups that have been engaged in serial conflicts, wars have followed from this psychodynamic narcissism-based cyclicity.Parens details some of the psychodynamics that led from World War I to World War II and their respective aftermath, and he addresses how major factors that gave rise to these wars must, can, and have been counteracted. In doing so, Parens considers strategies by which civilization has and is constructively preventing wars, as well as the need for further innovative efforts to achieve that end.

Autor

Henri Parens, FACPsa, is professor of psychiatry at Jefferson Medical College as well as training and supervising analyst at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia.

Inhalt

Foreword by Vamık D. VolkanPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroductionPART I: FREUD’S ANSWER TO EINSTEIN WAS WRONGChapter 1: The Problem with Freud’s Answer to Einstein’s “Why War?” Chapter 2: Why I Say Freud’s Answer Was “Wrong”PART II: CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUSPSYCHOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS OF HUMAN CONFLICTChapter 3: Human NarcissismChapter 4: Pathways from Narcissism to Human ConflictChapter 5: Determinants of Prejudice PART III: REACTIVITIES, EXPLANATIONS & RATIONALIZATIONSChapter 6: Conflict-Causing Human Reactivities Chapter 7: Post-Conflict Human ReactivitiesChapter 8: Explanations and RationalizationsPART IV: WHAT WE CAN DO: DIRECTIONS OLD AND NEWChapter 9: What We Can Do–Part 1Chapter 10: What We Can Do–Part 2Addendum: Freud’s Evolving Theory of AggressionBibliographyIndexAbout the Author

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 22.7.2014
• Zusatzinfo: 4 Illustrations including: - 2 Black & White Illustrations; - 2 Tables.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Allgemeines / Lexika
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Philosophie ► Philosophie des Mittelalters
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Allgemeine Psychologie
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Psychologie ► Psychoanalyse / Tiefenpsychologie
• Themenwelt: Naturwissenschaften
• Themenwelt: Recht / Steuern ► Öffentliches Recht
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Politik / Verwaltung ► Europäische / Internationale Politik
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: aftemath of war • ending human conflict • Freud's death instinct • Freud's theory of war • hostility and hate • inevitability of war • international war prevention • model of prejudice • models of aggression • need for enemies • preventing war • psychological origins of war • Psychology of Conflict • psychology of war • war prevention strategies
• ISBN-10: 0-7391-9529-8 / 0739195298
• ISBN-13: 978-0-7391-9529-1 / 9780739195291