The Psychology of Good and Evil: Why Children, Adults, and Groups Help and Harm Others

"This book gathers together the knowledge gained in a lifelong study of the causes of goodness and evil. Since the 1960s Ervin Staub has studied the roots of helpful, caring, generous, and altruistic behavior in adults and their development in children, as well as passivity in response to others' need. He has also studied bullying and victimization in schools, as well as youth violence and its prevention. He spent many years studying the origins (and prevention) of human destructiveness, genocide, and mass killing, and he has examined the Holocaust, the genocide of the Armenians, the disappearances in Argentina, the genocide in Rwanda, and other instances. He has applied his work in many real-world settings, in seminars, workshops, lectures, and in consultations with parents and teachers, police officers, and political leaders. He has appeared frequently in the media, since September 11 especially, to explain the causes and prevention of terrorism. Professor Staub has published, in addition to books, many articles and book chapters on these topics. A selection from these is gathered, with new writings added, in The Psychology of Good and Evil. The book presents a broad panorama of the roots of violence and caring and suggests how we can create societies and a world that are caring, peaceful, and harmonious. Two of the important themes of the book are how both evil and goodness evolve, step by step, and the great power of bystanders."--BOOK JACKET.