Product Description

Political or social groups wanting to commit mass murder on the basis of racial, ethnic or religious differences are never hindered by a lack of willing executioners. In Becoming Evil, social psychologist James Waller uncovers the internal and external factors that can lead ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts of evil. Waller debunks the common explanations for genocide- group think, psychopathology, unique cultures- and offers a more sophisticated and comprehensive psychological view of how anyone can potentially participate in heinous crimes against humanity. He outlines the evolutionary forces that shape human nature, the individual dispositions that are more likely to engage in acts of evil, and the context of cruelty in which these extraordinary acts can emerge. Illustrative eyewitness accounts are presented at the end of each chapter. An important new look at how evil develops, Becoming Evil will help us understand such tragedies as the Holocaust and recent terrorist events. Waller argues that by becoming more aware of the things that lead to extraordinary evil, we will be less likely to be surprised by it and less likely to be unwitting accomplices through our passivity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #370483 in Books
• Published on: 2002-06-15
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
From the Turks' massacre of Armenians in 1915 through the Serbians' slaughter of Bosnian and Albanian Muslims during the 1990s, the 20th century was an era of mass killing. Social psychologist Waller (Face to Face: The Changing State of Racism Across America) develops a four-layered theory of how everyday citizens became involved. First considering factors in evolutionary psychology such as humans' instinctive xenophobia and desire for social dominance Waller examines psychosocial influences on the killers, from people's willingness to obey authority even when causing others physical pain (the famous Milgram experiments of the early 1960s play a role here) to elements of rational self-interest (subscribing to, or at least not dissenting from, the norms of a military or other group). Waller's third element focuses on how some groups can create a "culture of cruelty," in which initially reluctant individuals ultimately commit heinous acts. In his last and most interesting section, Waller shows how a perpetrator learns to see his victim as a less-than-human "other," so that, in some cases, the victim is even blamed for his or her death. There is no new research here, and Waller's theory is quite complex. But he clearly and effectively synthesizes a wide range of studies to develop an original and persuasive model of the processes by which people can become evil.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Cambodia, Rwanda, Kosovo, and, of course, the Holocaust these are but a few examples of mass killing and attempted genocide. When such events come to light, civilized people are revolted, comforting themselves by believing that the perpetrators must have been insane. Yet later examinations of these atrocities frequently reveal the agents to be perfectly ordinary human beings, leaving the following question unanswered: what could possibly turn normal citizens into mass murderers? In this important synthesis of social psychology, evolutionary psychology, and historiography, Waller (psychology, Whitworth Coll., Washington; Prejudice Across America) draws on the work of Stanley Milgram, Philip Zimbardo, and other theorists to examine this question, arguing that only when we are fully aware of why such evils take place will we be less likely to allow them to happen again. Combining eyewitness accounts with his own scholarly but accessible analysis of atrocities from the past century, Waller studies the common traits among mass killers, the social contexts of several killings, and the targets against whom such violence has been perpetrated. Out of this examination he creates a paradigm for analyzing mass homicide that will generate considerable reflection and discussion. Highly recommended for every academic library. Christopher Brennan, SUNY at Brockport
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
"By unflinchingly posing painful questions and applying the insights of social psychology to the answers, James Waller has produced a lucid, penetrating, deeply disturbing, and unusually instructive book. It both enjoins and enables us to look realistically into the nature of human evil so that we may stand a chance of checking it."--Peter Hayes, Professor of History and Theodore Z. Weiss Professor of Holocaust Studies, Northwestern University.

"James Waller analyzes the factors that have led ordinary people in a wide range of circumstances--Armenia, the Holocaust, East Timor, Cambodia, Guatemala, Rwanda, and Bosnia--to engage in acts of 'extraordinary' evil. By challenging some of the traditional theories, Waller paves the way for a new model for understanding human behavior and human nature itself. Becoming Evil is an astute and perceptive look at a haunting phenomenon."--Victoria J. Barnett, author of For the Soul of the People: Protestant Protest Against Hitler (Oxford, 1998) and Bystanders:Conscience and Complicity During the Holocaust

"'Evil' has suddenly become a hot commodity in national and international rhetoric following the terrorist attacks of September 11. Government leaders and the public would be well served to learn some of the many valuable lessons effectively presented throughout James Waller's original perspective on the psychological processes involved in the transformation of ordinary people into perpetrators of evil deeds."--Philip G. Zimbardo, Professor of Psychology, Stanford University and President-Elect of the American Psychological Association

"Clearly and effectively synthesizes a wide range of studies to develop an original and persuasive model of the processes by which people can become evil... an excellent choice for readers just beginning to investigate the phenomenon."--Publishers Weekly

"What motivates suicidal terrorism? Mass murder? Genocide? Social psychologist James Waller offers a captivating and compelling synthesis of psychological research on the roots and fruits of evil. This is an important book for our time--and for anyone who longs for a more human and compassionate twenty-first century."--David G. Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College