Research Illustration UNIV 200-077 M. Hall Spring 2014

1. Lillie Hinkle
UNIV200-077
M. Hall
Spring 2014
Research Illustration
“WHAT TRIGGERS EVIL
IN PEOPLE?”

2. Source 1: "For the Worst of Us, The Diagnosis May Be Evil"
• Author/Source Credentials: Benedict Carey has dedicated his life to journalism after earning
his masters from Northwestern, currently concentrating on science reports for the New York
Times. He has won several awards for his articles about medicine and fitness, as well at
authoring two books. The source is lengthy, reporting on evil in history as well as its
presence in the world of psychological theory. There are direct quotes from educated
psychologists used to help the text flow smoothly from idea to idea.
• Summary: The article begins contrasting the way evil is seen in eyes of psychologists to the
eyes of those in the field of forensic science. Carey exhibits the varying opinions from a
neutral stance on whether evil is a legitimate means of psychiatric description or not. There
is a turning point before the conclusion that uses chemical imbalance to justify evil.
“Dr Simon considers the notion of evil to be of no use to forensic psychiatry, in part because
evil is ultimately in the eye of the beholder, shaped by political and cultural as well as religious
values.”
"I don‟t know that we want psychiatrists as gatekeepers, making life-and-death judgments in some
cases, based on a concept that is not medical."
“Broken homes and childhood trauma are common among brutal killers; so is malignant
narcissism, a personality type characterized not only by grandiosity but by fantasies of unlimited
power and success, a deep sense of entitlement, and a need for excessive admiration.”
PSYCHOLOGY
What triggers evil in people?
Genetic Susceptibility, Brain Biology, Mental Illness

3. Source 4: “Why Some People Are Evil”
• Author/Source Credentials: Neuroeconomist, Dr. Paul J. Zak, is the director of a
neuroeconomics center at Claremont University focused on the psychology of human
decision-making. He is known for his book, The Moral Molecule, titled after he first
coined the phrase in reference to oxytocin. His article will help me answer the question
of just how much one can relate evil to mental health. And though there is detectable
favoritism for his own research, he still claims the title of one of the founding fathers
of his field.
• Summary: In his article, he uses the oxytocin molecule to explain the reasons people
commit evil actions. He tells of his experiments measuring oxytocin levels stimulated by
certain situations, making connections to traits of psychopaths. Zak‟s research on
neurology is presented to justify why it is necessary for us as humans, and what
deficiencies can lead us to do.
“Knowing the chemistry of morality gives us keen insights into why most of us are good
most of the time, and why some people like Hans Reiser are evil.”
“…I have shown that an ancient molecule in the human brain, oxytocin, makes us feel
empathy for others and causes us to behave morally.”
“Gregariously social creatures like us need to have an internal moral governor that sustains
our place in a social group.”
PSYCHOLOGY

4. Source 8: “Scientific Responsibility for the Dissemination and Interpretation of Genetic
Research: Lessons from the “Warrior Gene” Controversy”
• Author/Source Credibility: Dana Wensley has received her doctorate in medical ethics from
Kings College. She is extremely active in her community advocating a healthier way of living
in her home town. As a New Zealand native, her passion for the research conducted on the
Maori people is something that strikes her deeply. M. King was not listed when I searched
for him within the Journals list of authors, nor could I find any traces of him online only
knowing the first initial of his name. This source is credible because it presents an opposing
argument against a theory that has gathered momentum in the bioethical field of study. It
presents an alternative opinion that contrasts against the belief that some generations of
people are born with a genetic susceptibility for wrongdoing.
• Summary: The source begins with providing backstory on the theory about the monoamine
oxidase gene, which has now been coined as the warrior gene. The authors argue that the
warrior gene must be taken into cultural and socioeconomic context to be considered a
reasonable theory. They conclude with their belief that environment is key explaining
negative social behavior whilst being paired with behavioral genetic research.
“Applying this to the warrior gene controversy, we argue that when the researchers at ESR
venture to explain the relevance of higher levels of the enzyme monoamine oxidase in terms of
its impact on social problems, they assumed a duty to ensure that their findings were correctly
placed in the appropriate social contexts.”
"The „warrior gene‟ controversy has shown how failing to emphasize the complexity of gene-
environment interactions and their influence on behavioral differences between groups can
plunge research into disrepute…"
PSYCHOLOGY

5. Source 2: “The Root of Evil”
• Author/Source Credibility: William T. Cavanaugh Ph.D, professor of theology at
DePaul University, has spent most of his academic career invested in the study of
religion, politics, and ethics. Beyond his teaching career, he has spent time as a humans
rights activist. His published works are oriented in Catholicism and the separation of
church and state. The source is structured in units. It covers religion, nationalism, and
the associations they hold with evil in the world. It has been published on openly
Catholic review website, yet is relatively free of stark religious bias.
• Summary: Cavanaugh opens his article talking about the Boston Marathon, a tragedy
recognized as an act of terrorism, using it as an example of how quick we are to relate
violence to religion. He goes on to acknowledge that there have been evil events in
history that have happened because of religious belief, yet does not warrant them as
good or bad faith. As the source progresses, he develops the idea that radicalism and
strict secularism is to blame.
“We are appalled at violence on behalf of religion, but we generally accept the necessity and
even the virtue of killing for one‟s country.”
“Religion is thought to be especially prone to irrationality and fanaticism and absolutism, all
of which are root causes of violence, in ways that secular realities are not.”
SOCIETY
What triggers evil in people?
Media, Public Policy, Violence Glorification

6. Source 5: “What Motivates Mass Murderers”
• Author/Source Credibility: Dr. John R. Lott Jr. is an economist and widely
recognized gun-rights advocate, known for his book, More Guns, Less Crime.
He received his PhD from UCLA, and went on to become a strong
conservative figure in political debate. Though the source is slightly biased, the
claims are thoroughly backed with evidence in history.
• Summary: He explains this feelings about the media‟s glorification of violence
using the Newtown shooting as example of evil people seeking higher a higher
shock factor. He advocates for restrictions on the media‟s freedom of speech,
but against gun control policy. In this article, evil is presented from the a
logical perspective in explaining how society encourages violence.
“They [mass killers] know very well that the more people they kill, the more the
world will hear about their deeds.”
“The media should stop giving these killers the attention that they crave…”
“…we ignore measure that might keep them from getting attention and pass laws
that give them defenseless victims.”
SOCIETY

7. Source 6: On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society.
Section 8, Chapter 5 “The Resensitization of America”
• Author/Source Credibility: Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, retired Army veteran,
dedicates his life to educating others in the psychology of the roots of violence. Now
professor of psychology and military science at West Point, he invested his studies in
what he calls “killology.” Grossman is considered to be one of the best in
understanding how to prepare people for the reality of violence. This source is a book
dedicated to evil. Grossman does not limit himself violence only within the military; he
explains what this sort of resocialization means for society.
• Summary: This chapter is dedicated to raising awareness about just how much violence
has been integrated into societal normalcy because of class division and media. He
mentions sublimation in video games and the entertainment, exposing the youth to
violence earlier and earlier as they develop. He advocates censorship and condemning
the glorification of violence, concluding his book in the pursuit of resensitization of
America.
“The media, which should act to bring us together, serves to pull us apart: conditioning and
teaching violence, nurturing our darkest instincts, and feeding the nation with violent
stereotypes that foster our deepest fears” (324)
“Each act of violence eats away at the fabric of our society like cancer spreading and
reproducing itself in ever-expanding cycles of horror and destruction” (330)
SOCIETY

8. Source 3: “A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment Conducted at Stanford
University”
• Author/Source Credibility: The director of this website, Philip Zimbardo, is known for
his experiments in psychology. He is a psychology professor at Stanford University,
known for his TED talks and book, The Lucifer Effect. He has received lifetime
achievement awards in psychology, and continues to focus on total social institutions.
The website, monitored by the conductor of the experiment himself, is a very detailed
account of the experiment from preparation to its forced end.
• Summary: The slideshow begins describing the setting of the experiment, and how the
participants were selected. He goes through how the “prisoners” were desensitized,
and how the “officers” gradually became crueler and crueler as they took on their roles.
He concludes in explaining why it was so necessary to end the experiment early—the
psychological effects were to extreme.
“It wasn‟t until much later that I realized how far into my prison role I was at that point —
that I was thinking like a prison superintendent rather than a research psychologist.”
"The only link between personality and prison behavior was a finding that prisoners with a
high degree of authoritarianism endured our authoritarian prison environment longer than
did other prisoners.”
AUTHORITY
What triggers evil in people?
Authoritative Brutality, Lucifer Effect

9. Source 6: On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Killing
Section 5, Chapter 5: “The Greatest Trap of them All: To Live with That Which
Hath Thou Wrought”
• Author/Source Creditability: Lieutenant Colonel Dave Grossman, retired Army veteran,
dedicates his life to educating others in the psychology of the roots of violence. Now
professor of psychology and military science at West Point, he invested his studies in
what he calls “killology.” Grossman is considered to be one of the best in
understanding how to prepare people for the reality of violence. This source is a book
dedicated to evil. Grossman does not limit himself violence only within the military; he
explains what this sort of resocialization means for society.
• Summary: This chapter describes what it is to be and make a killer. Through
manipulation and psychological trauma, figures of authority can force the most
gruesome actions at a mere command. Grossman provides examples of acts of ethical
defiance, concluding that authority is the root of the darkest, defining moments in
wartime.
"Those who commit atrocity have made a Faustian bargain with evil. They have sold
their conscience, their future, and their piece of mind for a brief, fleeting, self-destructive
advantage” (222)
"The killer can rationalize that the responsibility really belongs to the authority and that his
guilt is diffused among everyone who stands beside him and pulls the trigger” (225)
AUTHORITY

10. Source 7: “The Perils of Obedience”
• Author/Source Credentials: Social psychologist, Stanley Milgram, known for his
controversial experiment studying the effect of authority. With a degree from Harvard and a
teaching position at City University of New York, Milgram gathered notoriety in the field of
academics for his simulated shock experimentation. He is also known for his work with the
six degrees of separation concept. Written by the man who orchestrated the project himself,
it provides an intimate perspective no one else could create. The source is thorough
in explaining its presented statistics, and structured to guide readers through the entire
experiment.
• Summary: Milgram begins introducing the timelessness of the power of authority, and its
relevance within his experiment. He continues to tell of strange reactions observed and what
they could indicate regarding inherent instincts inside of us. He concludes with the
conclusions he drew from the experiment about how authority affects our will as well as why
we are unable to entirely withdraw from situations of obedience
“One theoretical interpretation of this behavior holds that all people harbor deeply aggressive
instincts continually pressing for expression, and that the experiment provides institutional
justification for the release of these impulses.”
"Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are
asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few
people have the resources needed to resist authority.”
"For a person to feel responsible for his actions, he must sense that the behavior has flowed from
„the self.‟"
OBEDIENCE
What triggers evil in people?
Evil in Command, Terrorism, Execution

11. Source 9: “Morality and Military Obedience”
• Author/Source Credibility: Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth H. Wenker, philosophy
chairman at the United States Air Force Academy, is a former communications officer.
He has overseen the publication of works on military ethics in the realm of academia.
This source offers extensive coverage on the power of obedience in correlation with
virtue. It may not be explicitly centered around evil, but the philosophies featured are
applicable.
• Summary: He begins the article offering multiple perspectives on what exactly
obedience is, and what it means for an individual. Throughout he alludes different
forms of obedience stemming from positive and negative forms of authority—Boy
Scouts and Nazi Germany. After integrating his ideas into the military setting, he
concludes that obedience revolves around many aspects: trust, moral obligation, and
intimidation.
“If obedience were based only on authority, then it would not matter whether the authority
is a Hitler in Nazi Germany, a Mafia chief, or a Boy Scout patrol leader.”
“When trying to justify obedience, we must appeal to more than the fact of authority.
Obedience should not be "just because" of authority. Otherwise the obligation to obey is
equally strong for Hitlers, chiefs of staff, and Boy Scout patrol leaders.”
“If we obey, we run at least some risk of great evil, as in Nazi Germany; but if we do not
obey, we lose the opportunity for good that results from working as a group rather than as
individuals.”
OBEDIENCE