Skip to main content
Log in

Violence as Secular Evil: Forensic Evaluation and Treatment of Violent Offenders from the Viewpoint of Existential Depth Psychology

  • Published:
Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies

Abstract

Violence is the preeminent evil of our day. Though the causes of destructive violence in our society are complex, the troublesome human emotions of anger and rage play a central role in the genesis of violent behavior and psychopathology in general. In this paper, the author discusses forensic evaluation and psychotherapeutic treatment via “existential depth psychology”—a synthesis of Freudian, Jungian, and existential theory—focusing on the overlooked links between repressed anger or rage, pathological narcissism, antisocial personality, and violent behavior.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th ed. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, A. (1963, 1995). A clockwork orange. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, S.A. (1996, 1999). Anger, madness, and the daimonic: The psychological genesis of violence, evil and creativity. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Diamond, S.A. (1991). Redeeming our devils and demons. In C. Zweig & J. Abrams (Eds.), Meeting the shadow: The hidden power of the dark side of human nature (pp. 180–186). New York: Tarcher/Putnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Freud, S. (1959). The libido theory. In Collected Papers, Vol. 5. New York: Basic Books, pp. 31–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frey-Rohn, L. (1967). Evil from the psychological point of view. In H. Nagel (Trans.), Evil. Evanston Ill: Northwestern University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, C. (2002). The evil we do: The psychoanalysis of destructive people. New York: Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, C. (1997). Speaking with the devil: Exploring senseless acts of evil. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, C. (1995). The daimonic development of the malevolent personality. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 35, no. 3, pp. 7–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horney, K. (1937). The neurotic personality of our time. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, S. M. (1987). Humanizing the narcissistic style. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kaplan, H. & Sadock, B. (1991). Synopsis of psychiatry: Behavioral sciences; Clinical psychiatry (6th ed. Rev.). Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kernberg, O. (1992). Aggression in personality disorders and perversions. New Haven: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kohut, H. (1978). Thoughts on narcissism and narcissistic rage. In The search for the self: Selected writings of Heinz Kohut: 1950–1978. New York: International University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, R. (1996). Foreword. In S. Diamond, Anger, madness, and the daimonic (pp. xxi-xxii). Albany, New York: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, R. (1981). Freedom and destiny. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, R. (1972). Power and innocence: A search for the sources of violence. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • May, R. (1969). Love and will. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peck, M.S. (1983). People of the lie: The hope for healing human evil. NewYork: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sartre, J.P. (1953, 1962). Existential psychoanalysis. Chicago: Henry Regnery Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sophocles (1982). Oedipus at Colonus. In R.C. Jebb (Tran.) and M. Hadas (Ed.), The complete plays of Sophocles. New York: Bantam Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thorkelson, W. (1994). The genes made me do it: Sin and responsibility. San Jose Mercury News, August 6, p. 10c.

  • World Health Organization (1992). ICD-10 classification of mental disorders and behavioural disorders; Clinical descriptions and diagnostic guidelines. Geneva: World Health Organization.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Diamond, S.A. Violence as Secular Evil: Forensic Evaluation and Treatment of Violent Offenders from the Viewpoint of Existential Depth Psychology. Journal of Applied Psychoanalytic Studies 5, 21–45 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021098917950

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1021098917950

Navigation