The roots of evil: Social conditions, culture, personality and basic human needs

Evil actions are defined as repeated orpersistent, not commensurate withprovocation and causing extreme harm, at times due to repetition. Evil develops or evolves. As indi-viduals andgroups harm others, they tend to develop characteristics that makefurther and more intense harmdoingprobable. In this article, Iexplore instigating conditions (difficult life conditions in a society, group conflict); cultural characteristics; the na-ture of evolution, with its psychological and social processes in individuals and groups; and thepassivity and complicity ofbystanders that lead to genocide and other collective violence. I consider the question ofwhether bystanders can be regarded as evil, focusing on the genocide in Rwanda as an example. I examine the socialization and experience ofchildren andyouth that lead to aggression and the subsequent evo-lution ofaggression towardgreater violence and evil. Iexplore the waypersonal char-acteristics anda system ofrelationships can lead to sexual abuse byfathers. One orga-nizing concept in understanding the generation ofviolence that causes extreme harm is thefrustration ofbasic human needs and their subsequent destructivefulfillment. The focus of this article is on the origins of evil, i