On human cruelty

Abstract

Cruelty as a character trait and as a large-group praxis has existed from times immemorial. It is witnessed among all religious, ethnic, and national groups. A complex phenomenon, cruelty has five features that refer to its being (i) destructive, (ii) intentional, (iii) pleasurable to the perpetrator, (iv) inhumane, and (v) unethical. The etiology of cruelty is complex and involves myriad biopsychosocial variables. Attempts at its amelioration center upon education, empathy-building, and victim-empowerment. All such proposals are thoroughly elucidated and illustrated with the help of clinical vignettes and socio-historical events.