From Pain to Violence: The Traumatic Roots of Destructiveness

Violence is all around us creating a climate of insecurity and terror but, despite its widespread prevalence, we remain unclear about its causes.

Felicity de Zulueta challenges the view that we are innately violent and argues that violence is a preventable condition that usually begins at home. Here she explores how pain, particularly the pain of humiliation, resulting from either childhood abuse or subsequent adult traumatisation, can lead to violence. For the second edition, this important text has been fully updated and now includes a valuable analysis of terrorism. Using vivid clinical vignettes to bring theoretical arguments to life, this edition explores key areas such as:

latest research on attachment and its relationship to PTSD and violence current neuro–psychological research and the latest treatments of PTSD cross–cultural issues, racism and gender inequality the psycho–social basis of professional abuse, torture and genocide the psycho–social basis of modern fundamentalism and terrorism issues of prevention, resilience and altruism.

From Pain to Violence skilfully integrates findings across many different disciplines to provide an understanding of why ordinary people can become violent. It is essential reading for psychologists, psychotherapists, psychoanalysts and counsellors working with violent adults and children, but will also be of interest to sociologists and anyone looking to understand and deal with violence and terrorism.

From reviews of the first edition:

Dr de Zulueta s work is ground breaking it is likely to change the way we both think about and do the work of psychotherapy.

British Journal of Psychotherapy

I found this book to be one of the most interesting and exciting I have come across in a long time.

CHANGES: An International Journal of Psychology and Psychotherapy (now Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy)

Acknowledgements.

Introduction.

PART I: ATTACHMENT GONE WRONG.

1. A case of violence.

2. The myth of original sin and the death instinct.

3. Aggression and violence.

4. From attunement to attachment and the trauma of loss.

5. The psychobiological roots of violence.

6. Secure and insecure attachments in the formation of the self.

7. Self and other.

8. In defence of the self.

PART II: THE PSYCHOBIOLOGY OF TRAUMA.

9. The unspeakable: child sexual abuse.

10. Psychological trauma and attachment.

11. From psychological trauma to violence and psychiatric illness.

PART III: THE PREVALENCE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TRAUMA.

12. Cultures and violence.

13. The dehumanisation of the other .

14. The traumatic origins of legitimate violence.

15. Love and hate.

Epilogue: And what about terrorism?

References.

Index.

This second edition has been fully updated and now also contains an analysis of terrorism." ( Human  Givens Journal,)