University of Tasmania
Browse
1/1
3 files

The psychological preconditions for collective violence: several case studies

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-26, 11:25 authored by Bostock, WW
When a community enters a period of collective violence, many factors can be causal, particularly a certain type of leadership which can be called pathological. Such leaders need certain pre-existing psychological preconditions to work upon as they manipulate a community. This they do through its collective mental state where there is psychic numbing (Lifton) and extensive negative psychic capital (Boulding). Their leadership can take the form of radically modifying a sense of coherence (Antonovsky), and claims of healing a wounded identity. The collective mental state can be heavily under the influence of fear (Lake and Rothchild). The psychological preconditions of collective violence are thus the raw materials of pathological leadership, specifically mental state, particularly fear, perceived wounded identity, negative psychic capital, occurring in a condition of numbed psyche. Some case studies showing the effects of the interaction of these components will be presented.

History

Publication title

Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences

Volume

2

Article number

1

Number

1

Pagination

273-297

ISSN

1944-1096

Publication status

  • Published

Rights statement

Copyright 2010 the author

Repository Status

  • Open

Usage metrics

    University Of Tasmania

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC