What can push a person to betrayal are arguments. What pushes a person to take revenge? composition. Loyalty to your moral principles

Incredible facts

What makes a person end another person's life? Is there a special type of person “born to kill,” or is this potential inherent in each of us? Does this behavior depend on the situation and scenario? Or maybe we are all born killers who suppress our essence, or we must break all social and psychological barriers in order to be able to take the life of another person?

These are the questions that humanity has been trying to answer for many centuries. Exist Various types murderers. There are mentally unstable killers who exhibit psychopathic and sociopathic abnormalities. These people appear to have "limited resistance" to murder. There are murderers and assassins who kill for profit or to maintain their status in the group. There are those who kill in self-defense. There are soldiers whose job is to kill the enemy in battle.

However, do they have anything in common? Or does each type have its own characteristics? There is a lot of controversy regarding this. The soldier would probably object to being placed in the same category as a serial killer. However, going deeper into the question, how does a soldier who purposefully kills a person, even an enemy, differ from one who also deliberately kills a person, but does it for other reasons?

These are questions that are very difficult to answer. In fact, there are no clear answers to them, however, scientists, psychologists and neuroscientists have proposed several hypotheses about why we kill and what pushes us to do it. We will break the proposed arguments into two categories: nature (genetics) and nurture. Genetic arguments suggest that we all have the ability to kill because we evolved that way.

Evolutionary psychology

In psychology, there is a somewhat controversial approach that suggests that some of our behavior is deeply embedded in us. According to this theory, humans evolved with certain behavioral characteristics that they passed on to subsequent generations. Over time, these types of behavior change. This approach is part of evolutionary psychology.

Unfortunately, even among supporters of evolutionary psychology there is no consensus. According to David Sloan Wilson, one of the reasons for this debate lies in the previously popular theory of Led Cosmides and John Tooby. Wilson claims that their theory of vision for evolutionary psychology is very narrow and misleading. Among the shortcomings of their theory, he notes the limitations of the evolutionary environment of adaptation, namely the range of conditions in which people lived during the evolutionary process. As a result, the authors concluded that the human mind has developed many behavioral patterns designed to solve certain problems that arise under certain conditions.

Wilson says that Cosmides and Tooby have oversimplified the elements of human nature by dividing them into male and female principles. In addition, he is also critical of the scope of their theory, arguing that they did not take into account differences between groups of people and the rapid evolution of the brain over a relatively short period of time. Wilson notes that there are many other approaches to explaining human behavior from an evolutionary perspective.

In David Buss and Joshua Dunley's book Evolutionary Psychology and Violence, in the section on homicide, the authors suggest that aggression is a trait that has been inherited by humans since prehistory. People were forced to compete with each other for resources. Sometimes this competition led to violence. As a result, people who survived developed a parallel "skill set." One set of skills helped a person cope with aggression, the other helped to cause more harm to the enemy.

According to this hypothesis, people have become more adept at both avoiding aggression and causing harm. Moreover, skills were passed on from generation to generation. Based on this theory, we can say that we are all capable of killing. Many supporters of evolutionary psychology do not deny that other equally important factors influence a person’s becoming a killer. They admit that environment and circumstances play an important role. However, our essence is that, in essence, we are all killers.

Critics of evolutionary psychology say that our consciousness is not as cruel as psychologists say it is. They indicate how quickly our minds have evolved since prehistoric times—much faster than the popular narrative of evolutionary psychology “conveys.” Critics also argue that humans are too complex to be analyzed in this way by evolutionary psychology.

However, what is the other side of the coin? What makes a person become a killer?

If, however, we assume that not all of us are murderers and refrain from this type of behavior due to the presence of social and psychological restrictions, then What exactly “creates” a killer? According to soldiers, it is a process that involves four strategies: abuse, classical conditioning, operant conditioning and role model.

Cruelty (“brutality”) is a process during which a person loses his sense of self-worth as a person. Within military structures, this is a very regulated process. New recruits go through it hard, sometimes even having their sense of individuality knocked out of them in humiliating ways. This helps the military reduce the resistance of most people when they are confronted with the concept of ending someone else's life.

In classical conditioning, the goal is to associate a desired behavior with a reward. Grossman says it is not used often in American military training because it seems morally reprehensible to associate violence with rewards. In operant conditioning, soldiers are trained under artificial conditions to develop automatic responses to specific stimuli. An example is shooting at targets in the form of a human body.

The role model for the military is the combat leader. This is precisely his job - to show and teach aggression while maintaining discipline. Thus, over time, soldiers begin to look to the combatant as a model of behavior. This combined approach would, in theory, create a soldier capable of killing an enemy in combat.

It is possible that killers who have never been soldiers, including serial killers, have the same experience as a military recruit. The main difference is that they did not gain their experience in a controlled environment. The underlying motive behind the actions of many murderers is cruelty. In a number of cases, the killers began to implement their plans on those who were weaker than them, thus demonstrating their strength and power.

Look at the characteristics of serial killers and you will begin to notice some common elements. Many people who eventually became serial killers suffered serious trauma in childhood or were victims of abuse themselves. Of course, this is a gross oversimplification of the problem, however, there is no doubt that the relationship between a traumatic childhood and the corresponding behavior serial killer there is a strong correlation.

Many killers have a pronounced sense of alienation, and before moving on to active actions, they, as a rule, fantasize a lot about this topic. In some cases, the killer suffers from a mental disorder or brain damage that either inhibits or completely deprives the person of the social and psychological restrictions that keep normal people from such behavior.

Thus, regardless of the reason for a person’s adoption of this path, in any case, he needs a catalyst, which pushes him to murder. Identifying and understanding the elements that can turn a person into a killer can help the global community prevent future tragedies.

Valiant law enforcement agencies daily, with the help of local media, inform citizens about the incidents of the past day. Every day, according to operational information, thefts occur (53 cases this weekend), fraud is recorded - 7, hooliganism, family quarrels, storage and sale of drugs, illegal handling of weapons, the police accept reports of missing persons and road accidents. However, a separate column here is occupied by suicides, including those of children and adolescents. This weekend one person committed suicide, on July 18 there were two, and so on... Readers shake their heads in horror, and nothing changes from this. What to do?...

Some condemn people who have committed suicide, others regret and sympathize with the loved ones of the deceased, and still others try to understand the root of the problem. After all, suicidal tendencies do not appear out of nowhere. Some people believe that this is weakness and an escape from reality and problems, while others believe that this weakness also requires a fair amount of courage and mental strength. The position of the church on this issue is known, unchanged and irreconcilable: suicide is one of the greatest sins. What is the opinion of psychologists?

For answers, Events and Comments turned to practicing psychologist of the “Youth Friendly Clinic” of the city children's clinic No. 4 Antonina Shurbina.

- Antonina Nikolaevna, tell us how suicidal tendencies arise?

A.Sh.:- The causes of suicide are not only emotional shocks and traumatic events. Many different factors play a role in the development of suicidal tendencies, including a person's mental health and even genetic predisposition. Thus, among the reasons we can highlight: genetic predisposition, mental disorders, alcohol and drug addiction, life circumstances. These could be problems in family relationships, death of loved ones, phobias (fears), betrayal, love, deformities. And here we cannot fail to note the influence computer games on the psyche.

- How can loved ones recognize “alarm bells” in a person’s behavior in time?

A.Sh.:- You need to pay attention to increased anxiety, unmotivated fears, aggression, avoidance of all kinds of contacts with people, insomnia, tearfulness, loss of appetite, apathy, and the presence of suicidal thoughts.

The careful sudden putting of all matters in order, as if summing up the results, should also be alarming. As well as fussy behavior, constant rush to get somewhere. According to statistics, 80 percent of people who committed suicide somehow let others know about their intention.

-Following this description, the entire generation is hurt. We are all in a hurry to live, and do not have time to get anywhere, completely forgetting not only about God’s commandments, but also about elementary logic, so beautifully composed in the works of the Eastern sages... And, therefore, a rather significant part of the blame rests on the shoulders of us who are still alive , so inattentive to those who left... So what to do if suddenly such “bells” were discovered? How can I help you? How to save?

A.Sh.:- Even a simple conversation, an attempt to improve relationships if there was a crack in them, can save you from this step, the “point of no return.” Everyone is capable of helping their loved ones overcome internal discord, despair, and change their attitude towards themselves. It is worth showing as much attention as possible to such a person. Perhaps this is exactly what he lacks. Of course, it is necessary to contact competent specialists.

- Which people are most prone to suicide?

A.Sh.:- People who are very sensitive (sensitive) and vulnerable are prone to suicide, because they perceive too subtly the world. Suicide is committed in moments of weakness, powerlessness and inability to overcome the conditions of perception of the surrounding world: no goal, no money, strong resentment. The mind simply does not work when the psyche and feelings are exposed. They always say: “Chill, think! A calm mind knows how to think calmly, but an excited and wounded mind does not even hear itself...”

In any difficult situation, you need to stop and try to get out of the stressful state, into a stress-free space, find a soul mate, and talk. You need to calm down and balance your psyche. Then there will be a way out of even a seemingly deadlock situation.

- Can a person cope with this condition on his own or without outside help not enough?

A.Shch.: - Where there is light, there is no place for darkness. Where there are thoughts of goodness, there are no obsessive thoughts. And suicide is truly the most serious sin. If such thoughts appear, you need to remember your loved ones. Try to spend more time with cheerful people who love and appreciate life. Avoid drinking alcohol or keep it to a minimum. And, of course, you need to contact a specialist who will help you overcome such situations.

- We are talking about people who have relatives or friends. About those who have something to help. But what about lonely people? Can we, based on altruistic motives, recognize such a person in the crowd and help him/her?

A.Sh.:- It is impossible to recognize a suicidal person in a crowd. He can behave outwardly absolutely adequately...

- What services deal with such cases? What specific measures are being taken?

A.Shch.: - The most effective mechanisms are hotlines, helplines, psychologists and psychiatrists, work with children in schools, for believers - a temple, and most importantly - love, attention, understanding and care of parents, if we are talking about children. The main thing is not to be alone and not to leave our loved ones in trouble alone.

Interviewed by Angelina Krikheli

Loyalty and betrayal in love.

A.S. Pushkin "Eugene Onegin"

Tatyana is A.S. Pushkin’s favorite heroine. Tender, honest, open, she, like any woman, wants love. Having come up with the image of a lover for herself, having read novels (“...She liked novels early; / They replaced everything for her...”), she imagined that Onegin was her beloved. The heroine fell in love with Onegin with all her heart (“Tatyana loves seriously…”). Disappointment always resonates with pain in a person’s soul. Having essentially received a refusal, Tatyana suffers from a lack of reciprocity. She continues to love Onegin. The author shows this during a meeting of heroes several years later. But a lot has already changed, and most importantly, Tatyana is married. It would seem that here he is, next to her, her lover, declaring his love, talking about the strength of his feelings. However, the heroine remains faithful to her husband. She is not capable of betrayal in a relationship, she cannot hurt a loved one. She did not choose the path of betrayal, remaining spiritually and morally pure. Loyalty is always associated with such personality qualities as responsibility, duty, and fulfillment of one’s duties. The heroine understands this by staying faithful to her husband(“But I was given to another and I will be faithful to him forever...”). One can argue for a long time about whether it was necessary to sacrifice love for the sake of family relationships, smooth, calm, built only on respect, but not on love on Tatyana’s part. Her way - way faithful, decent, honest wife. It deserves respect.

A.N. Ostrovsky “Thunderstorm”

The heroine of A. Ostrovsky's play "The Thunderstorm" - Katerina - is going through a complex emotional drama. Finding herself in the Kabanovs’ house, she wanted to live there as it was in her parental home, filled with love and respect for loved ones to each other, without lies and deception (“...I don’t know how to deceive; I can’t hide anything... ")
However, I saw something completely different in the new family: on the part of the mother-in-law - arrogance, the desire to dictate her own terms, vain accusations (“... It’s nice for anyone to endure vain lies!..”); She did not feel support from Tikhon, although she understood that he loved her in his own way.
“Why don’t people fly like birds?” Katerina asks this question not by chance. She wants freedom and openness in relationships. The heroine's betrayal and her secret meetings with Boris are the result of dissatisfaction in family relationships, desire for love, mutual understanding. The heroine fell in love with Boris with all her heart (“As soon as I saw you, I didn’t feel like myself. From the very first time, it seems, if you had beckoned me, I would have followed you;...”)

Of course, any betrayal is a sin. Lies and deception always become obvious. The heroine understands this and suffers. Her tragic end is the result of her perception of the sinfulness of her actions. Do we justify Katerina? It is very difficult to answer this question unambiguously. Each person builds his own relationships in the family. What is better: fidelity without warmth, sincerity, calmness, or betrayal with its short-term, but happiness? Loyalty and betrayal are always a choice of your behavior in a relationship with your loved one. And not one is responsible for this choice, but both - he and she. Her husband, Tikhon, is largely to blame for Katerina’s tragedy. The author makes readers think that both fidelity and betrayal, unfortunately, are possible in the family. But you always need to remember the main thing - life must not be lived in a lie.

I. Bunin “Dark Alleys”

I. Bunin's works about love are often filled with sadness, because lovers part. Even if love brings them happy moments, it is only for a short time. The heroine of the short story “Dark Alleys” managed to remain faithful in her soul to her first and only love in her life - to Nikolai. Years pass, Nadezhda becomes an independent woman standing firmly on her own two feet. She is the owner of an inn, “rich, cool,” energetic, full of strength, but lonely, because somewhere in the depths of her soul there glimmers a light of love, this wonderful feeling that she experienced so strongly in her youth for “Nikolenka,” whom, as says the heroine, she gave “her beauty, her fever.” What about the hero? For him, the relationship with Nadezhda is a fleeting infatuation of a handsome gentleman with a maid. He didn’t even realize that he had betrayed his beloved, betrayed their love, when he simply forgot about the heroin. But it turned out that it was this love that was the main thing in his life. Nikolai is not happy: his wife cheated on him and left him, and his son grew up “without a heart, without honor, without a conscience.” There can be no talk of any mutual understanding with him. How bitter it is to realize that happiness was so close. As we see, Nikolai’s betrayal of love makes both of them unhappy, and loyalty to her beloved warms the heroine’s heart, although upon meeting she accuses him, not forgiving him for his betrayal.

Conclusion.

Thus, fidelity in love makes it real, strong, brings happiness and joy, and fills life with meaning. And betrayal, no matter what the reasons for it, is always a betrayal of feelings, trust, love. This is exactly what the classics wrote about in their works, as if emphasizing the idea that a person’s happiness always needs fidelity.

American scientists David Rand and Tsiv Epstein took up, frankly speaking, a “slippery” topic. They decided to find out what pushes people to heroic deeds. Scientists interviewed recipients of Carnegie Heroes Foundation medals. The conclusion surprised psychologists: the brave and decisive actions of the laureates were not caused by a sense of duty or a selfless desire to save someone’s life. People performed heroic deeds unconsciously. They acted first and only then thought and realized what they had done. Exaggerating, one can recall the hero of the film “There Lives a Guy Like This,” who explained the reason for his feat this way: “Out of stupidity.”

But American scientists need a scientific version. If the heroes took risks unconsciously, then maybe the reason is the altruism gene? Its discovery is periodically reported by different scientific groups. However, opponents object: there is no single gene for altruism, just as there is no gene for happiness, intelligence, fear, etc. Entire gene ensembles are responsible for this. They are yet to be discovered.

When ants die saving an anthill, this is not altruism, not morality, but species behavior, a reflex to preserve the gene pool, says Marina Egorova, professor of the Faculty of Psychology at Moscow State University. - In humans, this is inherent at the level of instinct. He first of all saves his relatives and only then other people. Saves his genes to preserve his offspring.

According to Egorova, a number of studies have shown that humans have a predisposition to heroic behavior. The reason is most likely that man is social by nature. Living constantly in a group, we are forced to help others, expecting that our participation will not go unanswered. That is, helping others becomes our habit. And in an emergency situation, a person can act reflexively, saving someone else’s life, risking his own. This is unconscious heroism. In fact, the prize winners who were studied by American scientists spoke about him.

However, they especially emphasize that they in no way claim to be the truth, and that their conclusions must be double-checked many times. Much depends on specific people, on the situation in which they showed heroism, on what they clearly remember. And then the results may be the opposite. But the very attempt to understand the nature of heroism deserves attention.

The hero of the film “There Lives a Guy Like This” explained the motive of his feat to the journalist: “Out of stupidity.”. Photo: Gorky Film Studio

Can heroism be conscious? The song says, “When the country orders, anyone becomes a hero.” But anyone? Scientists different countries Many studies have been conducted and a list of incentives to perform a feat has been named. They are quite obvious: love for the Motherland, hatred of the enemy, a sense of military duty, camaraderie, mutual assistance, fear of contempt from comrades, the desire to distinguish oneself, to receive a reward. Each of them can, in principle, move a person to a heroic act. It all depends on the situation.

It seems that there really is always room for heroic deeds. But on the other hand, according to American experts, about 90 percent of military personnel experience fear in battle in an obvious form, often purely physiological: nausea, vomiting, etc. And studies by Russian, American, German and French specialists show that, in fact, a maximum of 25 percent of soldiers fight: they conduct aimed fire, deliberately move on the battlefield, etc. The rest are active only when in sight of the commander. If he is not there, they hide in a safe place, imitate equipment failure, mental or physical trauma, and “escort” wounded colleagues to the rear.

Of course, all the armies of the world would like to have ideal soldiers, but man is very unpredictable. Therefore, today scientists are faced with the task of creating an absolute hero, always ready for any feat. This is a robot soldier. And orders and medals for his exploits will be received at headquarters by operators who pull the triggers and triggers of weapons. In such a war, there is room for heroism for anyone.