Human society has been constantly and intensively developing for many centuries. One era gives way to another, progress in all spheres of activity has raised man to the pedestal of the dominant species on planet Earth.
One thing is bad: everything changes on the path of progress, but no one, with all their aspirations, strengths and capabilities, could either ban, overcome or abolish cruelty. This character trait, like many others, manifests itself in different situations, changing a person to unpredictable consequences.
What is cruelty?
Cruelty is selfish selfishness, envy, hatred and malice towards other people, towards life and towards oneself. This is the result of a lack of success in achieving one’s own goals and objectives with intentional or accidental harm to everything around.
It's no secret: what goes around comes around - cruelty begets cruelty. Causing harm to everything around in order to gain benefit for themselves, people do not think about the consequences that will not take long to arrive.
First argument
Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol in his story “The Overcoat” was able to demonstrate the cruelty of people. Akaki Akakievich Bashmachkin, being a “little man,” constantly suffers humiliation and bullying from his colleagues. They like the fact that Bashmachkin does not rebuff them, that he does not react in any way to their stupid jokes. The attitude of his colleagues towards Akaki Akakievich is the first stage of cruelty. When Bashmachkin receives his overcoat, which he had been saving for so long and persistently, the overcoat is stolen by unknown persons. The main character of the story was not ready for such a cruel reality, but he fights for his overcoat. The situation in Bashmachkin’s life is aggravated by the fact that everyone to whom the hero turns refuses to help him and does not try to find the stolen overcoat. This becomes the most cruel phenomenon; it is not for nothing that there is a statement that indifference is the highest cruelty. The attitude of others towards Bashmachkin leads to the hero falling ill and dying.
Forms of cruelty
Cruelty has different forms of manifestation: inflicting physical pain on a living being without any pity or compassion, offensive words, all kinds of actions and even inaction, and often unhealthy fantasies. She finds a loophole in straightforwardness and stubbornness, in mockery and deceit, in anger and unfriendliness, in intolerance for the mistakes of others.
The worst thing is when cruelty brings moral or physical pleasure. This is already sadism. Moreover, people, animals, plants, buildings, monuments, transport, places of leisure, etc. suffer from the harmful consequences.
Reasons for cruelty
People are not born cruel. In society there have always been norms of behavior, ethics and morality, on the border of which cruelty lay dormant. Abusive people become abusive for many reasons:
- High or low self-esteem. Dissatisfaction with life and yourself.
- The concepts of morality and morality have lost their power.
- Self-affirmation in a distorted form as a misunderstanding of methods of self-preservation.
- Childhood fears that persist into adulthood among people who faced indifference, cruel punishments and a strict upbringing regime in childhood.
- Demonstration of one's greatness and power through humiliating, mocking words, oppression and suppression, violence, murder. Sadism is the highest form of cruelty.
- Pride and, as a result, a feeling of revenge.
- Hiding personal complexes due to inferiority and weakness.
- Manifestation of inhumanity in inaction, taking pleasure in it, deliberate refusal to help.
Are all people evil?
It is important to be able to build this defense correctly. “The freedom of each ends where the freedom of another begins,” this quote belongs to the philosopher M.A.
Bakunin, and it perfectly reflects how cruelty should be treated. It is permissible to defend your own freedoms in a critical situation in this way, but in no case should you encroach on those of others.
Important! It is generally impossible to renounce cruelty, since this will result in a gradual suppression of the personality of the person who refuses. Society is gradually gaining more and more freedom, because people have become more evil
However, this is not a reason to refuse a calm discussion of the problem. Moreover, the principles of mutual respect and peaceful conversations should be laid down from early childhood
Society is gradually gaining more and more freedom, because people have become more evil. However, this is not a reason to refuse a calm discussion of the problem. Moreover, the principles of mutual respect and peaceful conversations should be laid down from early childhood.
Mom teaches daughter
Acceptable Cruelty
To better understand what cruelty is, we need to consider it as a reaction to intolerable circumstances that threaten human existence. And the more fierce they are, the more the response will go off scale.
The psychology of cruelty is a fine line on which good and evil are balanced. Is it possible to be a harmless, sympathetic, compliant person for everyone if you are faced with meanness, injustice, humiliation and insults? I think no. But the cruel are feared, shunned, and sometimes even respected.
A tough person is a strong personality. Kindness cannot be opposed to cruelty if human life depends on it. Therefore, cruelty should be developed not for violence, but in order to resist it.
Why do cruel people exist? Man by nature is a predator. If you look back at the whole history, you can’t count the wars with the most brutal destruction of all living things. Therefore, in any developed society, laws are necessary, the violation of which is fraught with severe punishment. Cruelty is an integral part of life, which means you need to learn to live and fight with it, and look for new models of behavior.
How to strengthen your character, become tougher, stop being meek and soft-bodied
Every person dreams of being happy and successful, while being afraid to face human cruelty and betrayal. Many parents tell their children that they need to be kind and sympathetic, that a friend is a friend in need, and that loved ones must be treasured.
Undoubtedly, such attitudes have a right to exist, but you should not always rely solely on goodwill. Sometimes a good attitude and openness can be seen as weakness. In a world where people are driven by determination and a thirst for success, sometimes you have to be tough, and at times even cruel.
But how can you become an unshakable monolith if by nature you are a soft and perhaps even weak-willed person?
Tough people - what are they like?
If the phrase “tough person” comes up in a conversation, then many begin to draw an image of an intolerant person who looks with disdain at the weakness of others. In fact, toughness can be called a reflection of a person’s strongest character traits, including perseverance, will and self-control.
Tough people tend to be leaders by nature. Moreover, it is worth considering that this character trait is not innate, it is formed under the influence of various external factors, often difficult life situations.
Rigidity can essentially be called the ability to remain steadfast even when external or internal stimuli for a long time do not provide the opportunity to relax.
Important
Internal irritants include personal weaknesses and desires, and external irritants include insults, neglect and resentment caused by other people.
A tough person is characterized by the following behavior:
- The ability to quickly navigate difficult life situations and find the most optimal solution to a problem.
- The ability to defend your point of view on any important issue.
- The ability to protect yourself and your loved ones in critical situations, often without the use of physical force.
- High level of discipline, punctuality and willingness to take responsibility for words and actions.
Examples of cruelty in everyday life
Every person has at least once asked what is also cruelty, examples of which are found all the time. All media are simply replete with reports of outrages and violence. Television, radio, the press, the Internet, fiction and scientific literature, history textbooks - everywhere you can encounter examples of cruelty.
Any historical social system, kings, serfdom, wars, repressions - everything is permeated with cruelty. The cult of cruelty in religions, sacrifice, aggression, intimidation, abuse of power, sky-high crime rates and impunity, terrorism are also cruelty.
In family life, examples of cruelty include suppression of will, energy vampirism, creation of obstacles in the realization of intellectual, creative and professional opportunities, all kinds of prohibitions in planning offspring, budget, leisure, etc.
And, of course, cruelty to animals is an abyss from which it is impossible to escape. If a person is capable of offending a dumb creature, then it is difficult to call him a person.
What is cruelty in the children's world
Very often, cruelty manifests itself in children who are out of control. Child cruelty is primarily associated with unfavorable family relationships. Lack of respect between family members and frequent quarrels in the presence of children reduce the level of trust in parents, which results in anger and aggression in the child.
Attention, care, patience, and frankness will help protect children from cruelty. A personal role model is very important. The absence of cruelty on the part of parents towards children and people around them will raise respect in the family to the proper level. Seeing and appreciating a child’s personality, taking into account his opinions and interests, trying to see the world through his eyes is the key to success in the age-old problem of fathers and children.
Female and male aggression
Volitional personality traits - what is it in psychology, their formation
The signs of male and female severity are different. The female half expresses anger through ruthlessness and relieves stress. Men use aggression as a specific behavior pattern that provides social or material reward. Also, the causes of attacks of rigidity in both sexes are hormonal changes in the body, psychological problems, addictions: alcohol, drugs, nicotine. Regular intake of harmful substances has a destructive effect on the people’s psyche.
How to overcome cruelty?
Knowing and understanding what cruelty is, you can take certain measures to protect yourself from it. Among them are simple methods and work on yourself:
- If you realize that cruelty is evil, then this is the first step towards solving the issue of getting rid of it.
- It is necessary to love yourself, people and the whole world around you, thereby getting rid of internal fears.
- You need to give to the world what you yourself want to receive: mercy, compassion, kindness.
- Increasing self-esteem, the desire for success, and social recognition is one of the effective ways to combat cruelty.
- Limiting your social circle. Surrounded by kind and decent people, the world becomes cleaner.
Thus, cruelty is caused by both external and internal factors that are ingrained in a person from childhood. We talked not only about our own ability to be cruel, but also about the very attitude of other people to such manifestations. Therefore, it is necessary to fight and prevent this character trait from childhood, instilling in the child kindness and mercy towards the people around him.
Methods of protection
When faced with aggression from others, it is necessary to take the following measures:
- Learn a couple of self-defense techniques and use hand-to-hand combat when there is a threat coming from strangers.
- Learn to ignore “energy vampires” who create insults and provocations.
- Increase self-esteem. People who are too soft and modest attract tough people like a magnet.
- In some situations, it is worth asking for help from those closest to you, or contacting law enforcement agencies (for example, if a neighbor is threatening to kill you).
If a person suffers from his own cruelty and wants to change, he needs to work on self-esteem. Perhaps the individual strives to rise, to prove to himself and others his own importance. It is also worth periodically visiting the place of your interlocutor and feeling the suffering of the victim. A psychologist will provide good help in this situation: a specialist will make it clear what manifestations of anger can mean and suggest effective ways to manage aggression.
