Malevolent Transformation (Sullivan)

Malevolent transformation is a term coined by Harry Stack Sullivan in 1953 to refer to a compulsive display of hostility when a need for tenderness arises (Chrzanowski 1978). The concept of the malevolent transformationgrew out of Sullivan’s attempts to understand the role of childhood displays of cruelty and extreme aggression within his larger theory of interpersonal functioning and development. He argued against one of the more pervasive theories of his time that defined people as “essentially evil,” with “an actual need for being cruel and hurtful” (pp. 213–214). Sullivan attempted to frame actions of human cruelty in terms of the major tenets of his theory of personality, namely that human beings strive to maximize security and minimize anxiety in their interpersonal interactions. For Sullivan, malevolent behavior was thus a transformation rather than an innate potential, an unfortunate mutation of the developing child’s natural strivings to secure the tenderness and affection...