Benign and Malignant Aggression

 

The last four years can be characterized by excessive anxiety, fear, tension, aggression, hate, hostility and sadism. Let’s look inside our brain and into our political milieu for an explanation. Factually, are brains can be divided into three parts.  The first is called the “Archaic Brain” which is located in the Central Core with the functions of instinctual behavior that defends territory and keeping safe; the “Old Brain” is the 2^nd and located in the “Limbic System” with the functions of fear, fight, flight and anger responses; and the “New Brain” is the 3^rd which is located in the Cortex with the functions of higher cognition, abstract thought, usage of tools, formation and comprehension of language, and social behavior. Notice that “Hate” the feeling that causes angry or resentful emotional response which can be used against certain people or ideas and associated with feelings of anger, disgust, and a disposition towards the source of hostility; and “Sadism” a tendency to derive pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation on others is not found in our brains at birth.  This disquisition addresses the increase of anxiety, malignant aggression, hate and sadism in our political culture.

Neural physiologically, the emergence of a newborn greets life in a state of helplessness, coupled with fear, dependency, anxiety, and tension. Yet, with loving parenting, the infant can develop goodness, love, justice and trust. But do not forget, along with mammals, sapiens have the innate mechanism for aggression and survival. However, a sapient has a much longer period of dependency and reliance for its survival and well-being. To illustrate dependency and aggression, Linda just procured a very small lapdog. Both she and the small dog bonded. Whenever she separates from her new dog, the young dog barks as in “separation anxiety.” Also, whenever, a new person comes to the door, Teddy barks as in “stranger anxiety.” Separation and stranger anxiety also occur in young developing sapiens. At a very young age, animals and sapiens differentiate and quickly experience safety and non-safety without the development of language. Crying, thrashing responses are emotional and physical. This reaction is aggressive and based on fear and/or anxiety. However, there is an absence of language, “hate” and “sadism.”

When it comes to anger, resentfulness, disgust, hostility, inflicting pain, suffering and humiliation [hatred and sadism] this emotionally based behavioral stance comes later. The newborn has a neural mechanism for survival, being safe and aggression but not yet for hatred and sadism. Within our neurological capacity, we proceed through developmental stages and have the potential to become fully human or malignantly aggressive on the other extreme. In becoming human, we learn, identify, imitate and interact with various others in our life space. We learn to have tendency’s to love, move aggressively against, and/or isolate ourselves from others. We become perpetrators and victims throughout our life space.  The effect and influence  of others include  but are not limited to parents, siblings, peers, other family members, teachers, significant others, bosses, clergy, TV, radio celebrities, political figures, movies, novels, social media, video games etc.

While becoming increasingly violent, one can easily lose faith in life and the possibility of trusting or having confidence in it. There can be many disappointments with or without memory as well as being betrayed by friend, sweetheart,  teacher, religious or political leader. These situations and experiences occur and in varying degrees within the context of our socioeconomic culture and society. All these components and factors play a part in the development of one’s character structure, thus creating the tendency for evil, sadism and destruction.

Within character structure there are varying tendencies for hate and sadistic behavior toward others. Furthermore, if there are too many betrayals, wrongs and disappointments the individual remains mistrustful and skeptical. He hopes for a miracle that will restore his loss of faith and trust. To compensate, the individual is likely to throw himself into the arms of a powerful authority as in a political party or leader to regain his lost faith and sense of insecurity and powerlessness. Often, he “overcomes” his despair at having lost his faith in life by identifying and following a powerful authority like a political leader in an attempt to regain some worldly aims. Of course, within this context, the deeply deceived, disappointed and insecure person also begins to establish the foundations for hating life and others. Being disappointed and hating life, one becomes a cynic and a destroyer. This destructiveness is one of despair and disappointment in life and leads to hating life and compensatory destructive violence.

Everyone, and I mean everyone has been subjected with varying degrees, at one time or another, at either viewing or being on the receiving end of someone’s verbal sadistic hurtful putdowns and/or receiving sexual and physical abuse. We have laws attempting to protect children and spouses from inappropriate aggressive behavior. On a personal note, I took my younger brother to our backyard to play football. “Play “for me was running over him while asking him to tackle me. Of course he couldn’t. One of my friends, had to throw a pitchfork at his older brother to get him to stop his abuse. An uncle used to hit aggressively his younger brother with the bow from his violin.

Who has not witnessed their parent’s verbal and/or physical disagreements? Shouting, yelling, slamming doors and so forth are illustrations of sadistic and hateful interactions. Who has never heard or overheard “I hate you?” Who has never gotten angry and said something vile to a significant other? In a work situation, there is a person in charge who enacts some policy that is harmful to another below him on the pecking order.

Historically, there’s some evidence to suggest that that the Neanderthals did not exhibit significant hatred and sadism toward their own. Anthropologists that study different cultures as the hunter- gatherers found evidence that some of these tribes that reside in “non-civilization” areas like the Zuni, in the old days, exhibited humane interactions between their people. Yes, they were aggressive but they were not considered violent and destructive people.

 Aggression can be classified as benign or built-in our brain and serves as a function of defense against threats to our vital interests. Three examples of benign aggression include: 1. Accidental aggression in which another person gets hurt but it was not intended 2. Playful aggression like in fencing and archery where one develops skill and mastery of a sport. I do not call boxing and football benign aggression. Playing defense, my football coach told me to hit or tackle that quarterback on every play regardless. 3. Self-assertive aggression is protecting or standing up for oneself by establishing psychological boundaries by not allowing oneself to be run over.

However, there have been barbaric atrocities committed by Sapiens. Historically the Genghis Khan dynasty, Attila the Hun, Alexander the Great, Roman Empire, The Holy Crusades, the Ottoman Empire, the 30 year religious wars are just a few examples of excessive malignant aggressive brutality, hate and sadistic behavioral expression against others and other groups. More recently, in my lifetime, there was World War II and the atrocities of the Holocaust, the death marches; the Atomic bombings, Korean War, Vietnam, and the Iraq, Iranian and Syrian mess in the Middle East to name a few more current illustrations of man’s inhumane treatment of man.

Hitler, the narcissist, pathological, and paranoid started his war with the excuse that Poland attacked. We know that was a lie. He proceeded, with his intelligent and loyal followers, to attack Russia, France, Belgium, England etc. Hitler was exterminating Jews, Gypsies and others while savagely destroying much of Europe. It was relatively easy for him to express his hatred and have eager submissive followers carry out his malignant aggressive brutality. Yes, sapiens are easily misled, become hateful and seem to follow blindly a histrionic leader. The German people were not born hateful and sadistic but became increasingly hateful and sadistic. There many reasons given for the start of World War II but that are beyond this essay.

Turning to the last four years, there have been numerous examples, identifications, models, of hateful and sadistic aggression by our leader and his federal government alone. This fact is just one of the influences on the development of character with an increased concrete tendency for hate and sadism for many in our nation. Are all people affected, influenced in the some way or manner? A great number of individuals have significantly identified with the authoritarian, lying, amoral, hateful and sadistic political leader and have acted out inappropriately.

The following are just a few examples of malignant aggressive brutality directed toward others of a lesser quality: 1. Building a wall to keep out other less desirables 2. Travel ban on certain Muslim countries 3. Lying and calling legitimate news “fake news.” 4. Attacking numerous individuals on social media 5. Separating children from families at the border in cages without plans for reunification 6. Downplaying and lying about the Covid-19 pandemic 7. Having government officials telling Congress that the states do not need Covid -19 funds 8. Having the criminal justice department falsely investigate 9. Lying about the democratic 2020 election 10. Orchestrating, planning and enabling an attack on the capital to overturn the election results 11. The government attack on peaceful Black Lives matter protesters 12. Supporting conspiracy ideas and hate groups 13. Against a $15 minimum wage 14. Against reforms to encourage and promote democratic voting 15. Minimizing the seriousness of the January 6 capital attack 16. Attacking House Republicans wanting to impeach. 17. Disbanding a D. H. S. Unit established for dealing with the resurgence of right-wing extremist recruitment and radicalization; and hamstringing the FBI efforts for investigating white nationalist groups.

The above examples of malignant aggressive, hateful, sadistic behaviors toward others were carried out by numerous followers, administrators, and department heads etc. within the federal government. How can following these directives be  considered to be good for the country? Did loyalty and fear of losing one’s job supersede morality?  Hatred and sadistic behavior toward others were implemented policy by the president, his cabinet, Mitch McConnell, the Republican Party and Senators. Practically everyone, it seems, went along with this cruelty toward others. Not only did those political figures in power contribute to this sadism, but millions of voters in the 2016 and 2020 election did as well. The leader’s behavior was deplorable and significantly contributed to the criminal brutality of too many in our country.

As with Hitler in Nazi Germany, masses went along with the leader’s inhuman malignant violent aggressive behavior. There were a number of intelligent individuals in his educated country. Intelligence didn’t seem to matter as it’s easy to mislead and fool while creating a perceived irrational threat to the followers. Yes, there was a world depression and Germany was screwed in their World War I surrender. People were fearful and anxious and were easily lied to and brainwashed during that time. They were told their values, ideals and way of life was threatened by the Jews, communists and other scapegoats and it was up to them to protect their pure German race. It was a lie and a betrayal. The enemy was painted as evil and a psychological threat. Hitler was the enemy and was the real threat to the German nation.

With that being said, an authoritarian leader in Germany propagated hate, evilness, and destruction toward others. The paranoid, sociopathic and narcissistic Trump, has a similar character structure and follows, in many ways, the same playbook. Notice his followers are easily led to hate and scapegoat others. These others are called liberal, Democrats, socialists, communists, black, Bernie, Nancy, AOC, Hillary and un-American which gives permission to hate another. He like Hitler is above the law without consequences, Hitler had other authoritarian allies. The x admired Putin, Erdogan, and Kim Jong –UN. Both have a similar clinical diagnosis. Both hate democracy and exhibited malignantly aggressive, destructive, cruel and sadistic actions against others. Both were terrible for their country.

Yes, aggression is part of man’s nature. Hate and the tendency for sadism expression can become part of one’s character, in various degrees, in just about everyone, except Mother Theresa, in every known socioeconomic culture.  Yes, the last 4 years with a hateful, sadistic and necrophilia leader, increased the tendency for too many in our country to exhibit malignant, violent, hateful and sadistic behaviors as well. He added fuel to a psychological threat to their frame of reference and identity of his followers with his continued falsehoods and quite easily manipulated them by his words and actions. I can now say that hate and malignant aggressive sadism are a quiddity.