愤怒的囚徒

by Aaron T. Beck, 阿伦·贝克, 汪瞻 (Translator)

我们为什么会由爱生恨？

恐怖主义和群体偏见有何共同之处？

如何理解历史上的大屠杀与大规模战争？

人类内心的“怪物”是如何一步步走向失控的？

我们如何激发人性中善良的一面？

今天的世界仍然充满暴力、冲突与危险，从个体到集体，从人际冲突到民族仇恨、国家战争，在各种形式和规模的冲突与暴力背后，有一个共性的心理认知框架可以帮助我们理解人性中的矛盾与冲突。

一代心理学巨匠、世界著名精神病学家阿伦·贝克在这本书中提出了一种革命性的洞见。贝克先生站在人类认知发生与发展的视角，探讨了愤怒是怎样形成又为何会失控的问题，立意深远地分析了当群体被仇恨与愤怒裹挟时会产生的暴力、冲突乃至战争，并结合心理学中认知行为疗法的理论与经验，给出了个人和集体减少冲突、暴力、仇恨的解决方案。

这本书不仅囊括个人案例的认知侧写，还通过对宏观历史事件的旁征博引，为我们谱写了一部“匹夫之怒”如何上升至战火纷飞的心理史诗，帮助我们发现并善用人性中光明与善良的一面，放大理性思考的力量，给自己、他人以及世界更多宽容，创造更美好的生活。

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Self Help, Neuroscience, Science, Philosophy, Communication

344 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1999

About the author

Aaron Temkin Beck was an American psychiatrist who was a professor in the department of psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania. He is regarded as the father of cognitive therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). His pioneering methods are widely used in the treatment of clinical depression and various anxiety disorders. Beck also developed self-report measures for depression and anxiety, notably the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), which became one of the most widely used instruments for measuring the severity of depression. In 1994 he and his daughter, psychologist Judith S. Beck, founded the nonprofit Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which provides CBT treatment and training, as well as research. Beck served as President Emeritus of the organization up until his death.
Beck was noted for his writings on psychotherapy, psychopathology, suicide, and psychometrics. He published more than 600 professional journal articles, and authored or co-authored 25 books. He was named one of the "Americans in history who shaped the face of American psychiatry", and one of the "five most influential psychotherapists of all time" by The American Psychologist in July 1989. His work at the University of Pennsylvania inspired Martin E.P. Seligman to refine his own cognitive techniques and later work on learned helplessness.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may be as close to world peace as we're ever going to be. Dr. Beck begins by stripping away the labels of good and evil, continuing on to make us aware of people's intentions. We are taught to make conjectures about what drives negative behaviors and how to respond to hostility. The main point I took from this book was that the basis of all conflict is miscommunication. If we are all equipped with this knowledge, the intensity of our conflicts will reduce a great deal.

Anyone who can get past the psychological jargon (hopefully the context takes care of that) will find a treasure trove of ideas about humanity.

[Benjamin Fasching-Gray · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although not a self-help book, I do think that reading this actually helped me to examine some of my automatic thoughts and question some assumptions... I think there were a few situations these last few weeks that might have made me angry but didn't because this book has succeeded in changing my thinking. I am only realizing now as I am writing this review that this book is from the year 2000, almost 20 years ago, and that in the meantime it seems like way more people are now "prisoners of hate" than when he wrote it.

There are some chapters in the middle that I felt were weaker. When Beck starts wandering into other disciplines, talking about genocide and war, the arguments are lacking the depth of knowledge and experience he brings to the more interpersonal stuff in the beginning and concluding chapters. As you can tell from some of the other reviews of this book, Beck is joining a handful of psychologists who posit utopias, if only everyone would just learn their techniques. Beck implies a kind of Walden II at times, after all, it is called Cognitive *Behavioral* Therapy... but instead of sticking the whole world in a Skinner box he just kind of suggests some new studies and hints that if morals were taught from a CBT perspective with lots of role playing, people would be less violent. He gets more into it in the final chapter, where he points at "General Systems Theory". I haven't read that book yet, but I know that in it the author also waxes utopian. Well, I'm all for utopias... I just get nervous when the headshrinkers start planning them.

There is a lot in here about domestic violence that can be a bit harrowing, but ultimately Beck is optimistic. He is saying that none of this stuff is human nature... OK, overreacting to perceived threats is human nature, he says, but so is empathy and being social creatures and all that, but he claims that war and what we now call toxic masculinity are not natural and can be overcome.

One of the things that can disturb me about CBT is when they start talking about your mind like it's a bunch of algorithms and they can help you "reprogram" yourself. But in this book I got to thinking that actually CBT is about not having algorithms at all. They are saying you get into these habits, jumping to the same conclusions or behaviors based on algorithms you have developed and that if you slow down and examine each thought in the process and think critically and look at the situation from other perspectives or as objectively as possible than you won't get into your own traps anymore. So really, it's like a "become human" thing, not a become a better computer thing. They talk or write a lot about information processing but their goal is to get the client or whoever to slow down and go beyond processing to true thinking.

So that's good.

[Colin · Rating 2 out of 5]

You cannot have a comprehensive system of EVIL (or in this case, hostility, anger, and violence) without a philosophy of JUSTICE. Within, Beck mentions how various cognitive distortions lead abusers to justify their harmful actions. Everyone views themselves as basically good, and thus justified viewing their harmful actions as warranted.

There were only a few instances of people actually in the thralls of their cognitive distortions. A common theme between them was that they were guilty of wrong thought–of misattributing malice to otherwise ambiguous scenario. The ambiguous situation can be seen in a more positive light, and thus adapted using therapeutic intervention.

But what if someone read a situation correctly? What if a manager is really being undermined by an underling who's dragging their feet just out of rebellion. Is anger unjustified?

My point bringing up this argument is again that having a philosophy of justice is imperative to understanding malicious action.

Still, the CBT model of hostility is still useful for seeing how people's own personal philosophy of justice and model of Self can cause harm. It was surprising to see how influential CBT is in popular culture. For example, popular truisms such as 'hurt people hurt people' likely stem from Beck. The tyranny of 'shoulds' and 'should nots' is another relevant example that is brought up in "Prisoners of Hate" and probably stems from Aaron Beck's ideas.

CBT also seems to have been designed for scientific scrutiny which many other psychotherapeutic methods cannot attest to. Beck takes great pains to reiterate–overly so one could argue–how outbursts could be reverse engineered to a specific catalyzing thought or belief. However, it was disappointing that the same attention wasn't given to how thoughts or beliefs came to be. Wrong-thought was often attributed to being bullied, but the CORE of how this happened never seemed to be fully explained.

The last thing that was mildly frightening was the philosophy of changing someone's thought patterns. Obviously this is often helpful in curbing violence, which is the main stated purpose of the book. However it can be tricky knowing which thoughts or beliefs should be changed, why they should be changed, and which beliefs should be replaced with the previously harmful ones. In this manner, there is something that goes against the autonomy of the patient and is especially worrisome when considering how CBT may be used to influence nation-states.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contempt is an interesting psychology. The ongoing persistence of it is nothing less than fascinating. In an effort to better understand the psychology of those who hate, I sought out this book a mere ten days ago, and found nothing more than an age old dilemma. People who hate with contempt were hurt as children. But what about those who were hurt as children but did not grow up prone to contempt? I believe this is an ongoing discussion in the crusty studies of criminals and alcoholics. This book doesn't address this issue of the "what abouts". It does, however, show that there are anatomical points in the brain in the process of hate. I also admire the effort of a cognitive basis to explain hate that this book provides. It comes closer to a pure understanding, though it comes up short on a personal perspective. This book is more sociologically oriented than it is psychologically. Furthermore, I would like to find more information about Kierkegaard's pondering and his observation of hatred as a separation, whereas connection can stop it in its tracks. Sometimes I feel as though social theory is completely derailed in our century. We are left with lesser information, no solutions, and menial nonsense with no quality solutions anymore. This book is a trophy of these "lessers" that we are left to deal with in modern social theory. I gave three stars for attempt, not for finding a real world solution.

[Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, this book suffers from being way too elementary for people familiar with cognitive behavioral theory and too caught up in psychological jargon to be appealing to lay folks. However, Beck offers some interesting ideas on how to minimize the effects of anger and violence on a more ecological level. The book could have seriously been half its length though. Beck LOVES examples and like had to drop tons of them throughout the book to expain pretty simple concepts. Slowed the pace down significantly.

[Underconsumed Knowledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone with no knowledge of CBT, this is a very informative read. It is not the best writing, but it is comprehensible, covering a gamut of material as it relates to hate, hostility, and violence in people and societies. Well worth reading.

People who are driven to hate and anger do so because of their own lack of confidence, fears of abandonment, lack of pride, or whatever other factor ails the self such that they feel inferior. The human mind is very egocentric in its interpretations of situations, an evolutionarily adaptive characteristic for self-protection/promotion, to avoid social danger of rejection or loss of status, as well as actual danger; we also think people interpret situations as we do. Avoiding actual danger is evolutionarily adaptive to be overcautious than under. Thus, people will pre-empt situations where they feel their honor/virtue/what-have-you is in question, to make sure that you know that they are powerful/smart/whatever. They will me “he thinks I’m X” (projected self-image) with violence, in retaliation to their wounded ego, at a wrong to them, either real or perceived. People have the ability to perceive a wrong where there is in fact none; people who are prone to hostility are more likely to do this, and we are likely to attribute malevolent characteristics, based off selective past memory or wrongs. Abusive people often have defective self images, compensating by attempting to intimidate others. People also have the capacity, when they step back, question, and evaluate, to gain perspective on their initial reactions, and correct them. People’s beliefs underline their automatic processing, which is prone to over-generalizations. The “tyranny of the shoulds” define people who demand to be treated a certain way (with low self-esteem and a ‘thicket of rules’ to protect themselves), and want to punish those who antagonize them, for their malevolent behavior. Social constructs can lead to rigidity, causing more distress than they are designed to prevent (says author). We must eliminate the evildoers (a primitive impulse), “the enemy,” and satisfy our feelings for justice. I.e. the Germans were the victims of the Jews, the enemy, in the Nazi pathology. Massacres, lynchings, etc., focus on the enemy in this manner; dehumanized and demonized evildoers. When people feel threatened, or their sacred values, they revert to dualistic thinking, and move to attack from the perception of transgression. The aggressive driver views the slow driver as interfering with its legitimate goals; aggressive people perceive their rights superseding those of others. “A major problem in human relations is that our words and actions convey unintended meanings to other people, just as their words and actions have unintended meaning to us.” We over-interpret others’ comments as put-downs. “Many religions often reinforce people’s tendencies to judge themselves and other people in biased ways: good versus evil, benevolent versus malicious.” People do not use experiences to learn when their self-esteem is hurt; the psychological pain, however, like physical pain, calls attention to a problem that demands correction. “When we perceive ourselves as powerful, efficient, and competent, we are motivated to tackle difficult tasks. When we have a self-image of helplessness and powerlessness, as in depression, we feel sad.” “The person with an avoidant personality simply minimizes her social interactions in order to protect self-esteem". If you think you can overpower an attacker, you will mobilize to attack; if you think you cannot, you will experience anxiety. The possibility of being talked down to causes people who are insecure to fear authority, encroaching on their autonomy. People are prone to feeling vulnerable in situations where they are to be evaluated (I.e. public speaking); many can be deeply hurt by unflattering judgments of others. Camaraderie can evolve in response to crisis (fire/flood); group bonding can also occur in instances of looting or rape. Most normal people think themselves responsible for good things that happen to them, and others for bad things; depressed people attribute failure to themselves, and success to luck. Primal thinking impels us to focus on the one cause of events and exclude other possibilities; people have the capacity to override this, with thought, using reflection and judgment. “Our brain has developed a capacity to create for us a world of our own making and imagination. Very few of us live in the real world. We live in the world of our perceptions, and those perceptions differ dramatically according to our personal experiences. We may perceive anger where there is none. If the distortion is ever enough, we may think we are living among enemies even while surrounded by friends. Willard Gaylin, 1984” Maximum reactions which were evolutionarily programmed today often represent overreactions. People enter marriages with glorified sets of expectations and rules; when these are not met, they become anxious, angry, etc. Violent offenders see themselves as victims, and others as victimizers; they are hypersensitive to social confrontations, I.e. domination or disparagement, as a result of personality and his social environment growing up. Dichotomous ways of thinking lead to “if I'm not clearly dominant, I'm submissive, if I'm not in power, I'm powerless.” etc – these are the ways people think under depression, anxiety, and paranoia. Harsh parenting and a lack of proper role model fails a child; children can become intimidating, dominating, and forceful; thus leading to a chicken and egg scenario with others of people becoming actually wary and antagonistic of them, leading to feelings of being treated unfairly. Misbehaving children can also strike at the heart of insecure parents, causing them to become angry with the child. Points to the two kinds of offenders in society; psychopaths (invulnerable, superior, manipulative, thinking others inferior), and reactive offenders (vulnerable, fragile, others as hostile/enemies, reacting violently in defense). Psychos commit a much larger percentage of violent crimes, and are extremely egocentric; they know the rules, they do not apply to themselves, vs. Reactors who cannot resist striking back to defend his own rights. Some rapists have a cognitive deficit; they do not interpret a woman’s cues accurately, thinking they are playing as part of their game; other offenders experience rape as vindication or revenge for past rejection, the feeling of power neutralizing his own feelings of helplessness. Collective thinking can lead to cognitive distortions, binding a group together, and inducing members to abandon normal morality. Identifying with a group can make people feel personal achievement during group triumph; the desire for personal success and a yearning for attachment and bonding leads to groupishness. Receptivity and responsiveness to other group members emotions are hard wired into the brain. Motives to boost one’s own self-esteem leads people to perceive their group more positively. “It is important to recognize that people may be prejudiced against different races or ethnic groups without realizing it. Most subjects who view a picture of a person of a different race, for example, will subsequently show faster reaction time to unpleasant words and more prolonged reaction time to pleasant words... The rapid reaction time indicates that a person is keyed to make an automatic evaluation.” Thus, negative and positive labeling of out/ingroups is something of an automatic process. “The open mind is characterized by the ability to evaluate information on its own merits, unencumbered by one’s affiliations and beliefs... A person with an extreme commitment to a religious belief, for example tends to ‘sacrilize’ the difference between the believer and nonbeliever and to dismiss all those who do not fit into his hallowed world.” Thinking ones own group good can lead to deceitful actions, justified in the name of the group’s own goodness; groups often try to exclude outside information that might undermine confidence in the group. The paranoid perspective leads to interpretations of bad behavior far beyond objective evidence. “The comparison between militant groupthink and paranoid delusions is useful for the light it shines on the nature of the human mind and its tendency to create fantastic explanations for distressing circumstances.” People become very vested in these points of views; they think they are right, and messianic, in their motives and mission (I.e. to “save the people.”) Points to the Scotch-Irish southerners, like Sowell, as being ready to violently retaliate (a part of their culture), which had economic origin; they were vulnerable to theft of their animals. Thus, they derived a social image of toughness, and a reputation for violent retaliation. Changing community expectations can change behavior of groups; educational programs can help with this. “It is easier for the populace to blame and attack an alien group than to understand the intricacies of economic and political problems and the complexities of a positive political and economic program.” “The disposition to ascribe unfortunate happenings to alien groups has its roots in ancient notions of causality, which ascribed natural disasters such as floods, droughts, famine, and epidemics to the malevolent intervention of supernatural forces.” Members of minorities can become conspicuous because of economic success; they are then thought to be conspiring at the expense of the majority, shadily trying to gain unfair advantage. Hitler’s personality, rhetoric, and program made the Germans feel more powerful. While Hitler may have suffered psychological conditions, there was found no mental illness in the men who participated in the German’s war crimes; it could have happened to anyone (as said Sowell). The Khmer Rouge called for wiping out everything inconsistent with its goals; individualism, stuff, families “the ends justify the means.” Wars from 1850 to 1950 were more influenced by national pride and ideology than pure economic factors, which they were before this time period. When people’s vital interests are involved, normal thinking goes out the door (I.e. thinking across a range of goodness or badness), and people attribute the other as “totally bad” and their group as “totally good.” “A striking feature of biased thinking if the confidence not only that ‘we are right’ but also that our goodness and righteousness will triumph over the forces of darkness.” The self image of the USA as the moral protector of freedom and democracy has shaped foreign policy, as well as the aversion to “bad” communists. Leaders and their states are prone to the same kinds of cognitive errors that people are susceptible to, leading to misunderstandings, war, etc. On the battle field, one who humanizes the other has a harder time killing him “I had come here to shoot at ‘Fascists’; but a man who is holding up his trousers isn’t a ‘Fascist,’ he is visibly a fellow-creature, similar to yourself, and you don’t feel like shooting at him” -George Orwell re: Spanish Civil War. Decentered (re-framed) analysis of a situation with the objectivity of an impartial observer is the best manner to reduce bias; this can be accomplished often with reverse role-play. “Groups not only promote a sense of belonging but give individual members a sense of power that neutralizes the sense of inadequacy that many experience as solitary individuals... Identifying an enemy greatly enhances group solidarity.” “If the value of human life overshadows one’s political or social ideology, it is more difficult to carry out harmful behavior.” Militant organizations “believe they have the pipeline to truth and feel disdain for the non-believers... Far from feeling compassion, they aim to eliminate their victims.” I.e. there is no compassion for “Racists” in the middle of America. “The focus of humanistic altruism is interpersonal and global: individuals are seen as fellow human beings rather than as stereotyped members of a group.” Book closes calling for compassion; people who feel connected to other people and show caring through action. Prosocial training can help with this. Encouraging people to consider alternative explanations. By attending to subjective meaning, people do not undercut problems to resolve them; focusing on objective content enables pursuing results. Feeling helpless and trapped can be alleviated by blaming someone else to help reduce those feelings.

[Rubina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beck provides extensive insights to the different components of anger, violence and destructive behaviors, and how cognitive therapy which involves learning to be mindful of anxious thoughts and hurt feelings, understanding and recognizing our vulnerability and the belief system that predisposes us to feel this anger or disparagement by others can help in the management of these destructive emotions and behaviors. The writing is a little dense and repeative but otherwise makes for a profound read.

[яᴏx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some helpful tips. I do think the author could have expanded more on “the cognitive basis for anger, hate and violence” more than he did. The first couple parts of the book seemed like it was leading into that and the last parts of the book were a little more historical and opinion based. I’m happy I read it but it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be based on the title

[paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

From individuals to nations, Dr. Beck explores the thoughts and feelings underlying hate and acts of hate. Focusing attention on the basic feelings and beliefs that lead to violence, he shows how we may learn to think differently and defuse situations before anger & violence occur.

[Anthony Cleveland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beck at his finest. Although published in 1999, Beck's description of cognitive processes are timeless and universal. The "problem" and the "resolution" lies within that three and half pound incredibly complex organ hidden safely within the human skull. A must read for any CBT clinician.

[Lucas Kinsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pleased with this book. I am 35 years old in 2 days. It took reading this book to fully understand and to start addressing the reason I am the way I am and why I act out the way I do.

It's allowed me to improve my relationship with my wive and my son especially but has improved family relations in general.

I can honestly say I went 35 years expecting to never understand how or why I felt or acted how I do/did. Then I read this book and WOW. It was like reading a diary. His explanations are worded perfectly, he uses simple language to help us "simple men" understand the scientific language and examples he gives.

I sincerely cannot recommend this book to anyone with anger problems enough!!!

I went from burning all my bridges. Assaulting family members. Ruining relationships for no reason. Lashing out. Being hateful to my spouse and child. Almost losing my wife and family. Losing several jobs and being severely suicidal with no end in site to almost fully understanding why and how things are and the reasons they became that way.

This book should be a requirement for all men suffering bipolar issues or any other issues that cause men to lash out.

I am speaking from a man's perspective as that'd all I can do, as a man.
But the doctor doesn't just address men in the book. I simply read it as one as I am one. This book would be just as helpful to a confused woman with anger issues.

[Annette Boehm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaron T. Beck is an authority in the field of cognitive psychology, and in this book he shares his observations / thoughts regarding anger, hate, and violence on both an individual and a national / international level. He argues that the same cognitive mechanisms underlie both individual violence and war. The book itself, while interesting, was a dry read for me because he keeps circling back and rephrasing himself. He also spends a good deal of the middle of the book with a long history lesson on certain wars and cases of genocide, obviously writing from an American perspective (in 1999). I would have been interested to hear his thoughts on the near-genocide of Native Americans in addition to the other examples he offers. Still, in all, this is an interesting book that introduces the relevant concepts of cognitive psychology, illustrated with brief case stories, and offers some suggestions for treatment (last chapter in particular).

[Ryo · Rating 5 out of 5]

本書的重點很簡單，旨在探討憤怒的情緒以及從其衍生而來的暴力問題，擴展的範圍不只侷限在你我周遭，甚至可造成整個族群與國與國之間的仇恨。

從一個簡單的問題開始: 我為什麼會生氣? 首先必須要釐清我們日常生活中的憤怒和敵意從何而來，這些現象與那些造成社會動盪不安的問題(家暴、犯罪、群體暴力、大屠殺及戰爭)皆是來自相同的心理因素。

現代社會雖然看似發達，但至今人對人的暴力行為依舊令我們感到害怕，並且持續危害著社會。 我們的生活比起過去優渥許多，擁有許多便捷的高科技產品，但我們的內心(還是該說心理狀態)似乎仍停留在原始時代，沒有同步成長。 時至今日，犯罪及暴力依舊盛行，就算經歷了兩次世界大戰，人與人互相傷害仍然持續，在無法控制自己情緒的狀況下，任何關係都會產生裂痕。

為何我們會如此輕易的被挑起怒火?

作者在書中探討了從個人到國家的仇恨和導致這些仇恨行為背後的思想和感受。他將重點放在導致暴力的基本感受和信念上，告訴我們如何學會以不同的方式思考並在憤怒和暴力發生之前化解局面。
-
想起之前在推特看到的一段對話，有一個人問心理諮商師說：「你覺得心理穩定的人是怎樣的人？」，諮商師回答：「是對他人不感興趣的人。」 ，並說道：「所有的誤解和壓力，90%是源於期待他人理解自己。」

在讀本書的時候，一直想到這段對話。那位諮商師說得沒錯，我們特別容易因他人的行為而感到受傷或憤怒，最大的原因是在於我們會自行腦補對方對我們的看法（別人會怎麼想我們⋯），還擅自認定對方是在針對自己。因此，激怒我們的不是旁人的言行，而是我們「片面」認定他們對我們的看法和感受。

如果我們能夠不要那麼先入為主，將自己的觀點強加在事件上，是否可以避免ㄧ次次的紛爭？
從這本書中得到的要點是，所有衝突的基礎都是由於缺乏有效溝通，如果我們能從其他角度看待情況，也許不會落入這種心理陷阱，而我們衝突的強度就能大大減少。

[Nicole C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great first half introducing the way of looking at anger and hostility through a cognitive therapy framework. However, there's a big chunk in the middle that reads more like mini history lessons on various situations across the world, and I pretty much flipped through the rest. Most of the second half of the book seemed like a repetition of the first.

[Luiz Fabricio Calland Cerqueira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not his best work and yet contains great insights in the works of anger and hostility. Some parts felt a bit like Beck trying too much the career of historian, and less focused in telling the inner works of anger and more to the point of telling about Hitler’s hideous military carrier and decisions.

[Lasse Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can help you learn a lot about yourself, how to deal with tense situations and control your and other people's anger.

Unfortunately, the book contains a lot of repetitions, it probably could have been cut down by a good 70-100 pages without them.

[Rudy Bonilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesante perspectiva muy vigente respecto aspectos que van desde la ira cotidiana de las personas, hasta las guerras que ocurren en el mundo. Una lectura muy recomendable desde la perspectiva cognitiva de Beck.

[GoldenGerbera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good. Though for some might be too dry as this book is pretty academic...

[Savannah Wilkerson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic psychological aspect and very deep explanations that connect a lot of what is happening in our world today.

[Mephistia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part self help manual, part violence-prevention workbook, part deconstruction of the underpinnings of violence across human history and societies-- this text is that rare work that is broad without being too broad; incisive; forward thinking (I cannot believe it was written in 1999! -- every word feels fresh and relevant to today!); well researched, and well presented. Every world leader should be required to read this text before taking office, I swear.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beck has written to be what I found an extremely helpful guide in understanding human behavior, especially when it comes to anger and dysfuntion in relationships. I think that it is easy enough for someone unfamiliar with psychology to understand, but it is also a good read for those of us more familiar with the social sciences. I know a lot less about any wider applications of his theories beyond familial relationships, but I did learn a lot from this book on how to improve as a listener and how to spot dysfunctional thinking in myself and others.

[Harley Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading this on the 25th, which just so happens to be my birthday, and in that time I've already recommended this book quite a few times to both friends, extended relatives, and coworkers. This book is a must read for anyone trying to understand why everything from one vs one arguments can quickly turn violent, all the way up to why there have been so many human extermination attempts throughout history. Dr. Beck elucidated these points, as well as the diagrams, so it's easy for anyone who may not have a psychology background to follow along and absorb the information.

[Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the beginning of the book as it's something I can relate to, because it concerns individuals. But once started talking about the world and the countries conflicts,I started to lose my interest.
Overall, the book gives you a deep insight in why we get angry.
I like the book and I find it helpful for day to day life.
Also, there are very helpful tips for couples.

[Vex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book through a book on the Dalai Lama, because he and Beck had correspondence and interest in each other’s work and philosophies. While at times tedious, repetitive, and more introductory than I was anticipating (in fact, there is quite a lot of ideas plucked from Buddhist teaching on the mind), this was an interesting read.

[stephanie]

i love beck. love love love. i can't believe i haven't read this yet - just goes to show how many books i have on hand at all times.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST ever! on understanding hostility and group mentality LOVE LOVE this book.

[Rex Mcdaniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very practical and helpful...I go to page 62 two or three times a week to get clear on ways I am taking or giving offense.

[Michel Van Goethem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Prisoners of Hate: The Cognitive Basis of Anger, Hostility, and Violence
by Aaron T. Beck