Includes bibliographical references (pages 371-394) and index.
A case of violence -- The myth of original sin and the death instinct -- Aggression and violence -- From attunement to attachment and the trauma of loss -- The psychobiological roots of violence -- Secure and insecure attachment in the formation of the self -- Self and other -- In defence of the self -- The unspeakable : child sexual abuse -- Psychological trauma and attachment -- From psychological trauma to violence and psychiatric illness -- Cultures and violence -- The dehumanisation of the'other' -- The traumatic origins of legitimate violence -- Love and hate.
Defines'violence' as distinct from'aggression', and attempts to trace its origins, highlighting the polarization between those who believe mankind to be innately violent and those who see violence as the outcome of man's life experiences. This second edition includes a chapter on terrorism.