Are anger, discompassion and hatred symptoms of weakness?

[3017Metaphysician]

[The following topic is featured as a leadup to the May philosophy book of the month discussion of Holding Fire.]

Do you think that anger, discompassion and hatred are usually symptoms of weakness? Why or why not?

If you know of any psychological studies into the matter, please post here about them.

Generally speaking, I think that anger, discompassion and hatred are signs of weakness and/or the self-perception of weakness.

Namely, I think people get frustrated by their own weakness, which makes them angry, discompassionate, and hateful and makes them more likely to resort to violence and other primitive and brutish techniques (not as a form of defense but as a means of offensive attack and control). When a person is socially weak, I believe the person will likely compensate by using the brutish techniques associated with anger, discompassion, and hatred.

Additionally, people who believe themselves to be weak will tend to have an inferiority complex, which is notorious for often resulting in excessive aggressiveness as a form of overcompensation, such as in the clichéd case of most schoolyard bullies.

In another example, consider the crazy "school shooters" who go to schools to shoot wildly at their classmates and usually kill themselves. Wouldn't you say that that extreme example of vengeful anger, discompassion, and hatred is a sign of severe weakness and the pathological self-perception of weakness.

In another example, if you back an animal into a corner, making it feel scared and weak, it will lash out violently and erratically, which in humans would be called anger, discompassion, or hatred.

In contrast, wouldn't you say that compassion is generally a sign of strength and clearheadedness? I would. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the strongest historical figures I can think of, and I believe he is a great example of how genuine strength enables a person to act on their love and to influence society without resorting to the destructive use of offensive violence and judgmental vengeance associated with anger, discompassion and hatred?

What do you think?

Yes. Generally, it is a sign of weakness. I think it relates to ignorance. Some folk don't know any better. It is exacerbated by an exaggerated self-worth (ego).

On the other hand, as in eastern philosophy or the principles of unity and opposites (antinomy), it is quite normal to use emotions as driving forces to effect one's own Will for alternative action or behavior. Practically speaking, when closed doors happen, one can be depressed, angry, frustrated, et al. But those emotions fuel the fire for an alternative resolution. It seems when the effects are negative (like violence), that it becomes a sign of ignorance or weakness.

It's kind of like saying someone killed my brother, so I'm going to retaliate and kill them. Relative to the human condition, we see this a lot. It takes on many forms, some obvious and some not so obvious, and we see it in all walks of life. Politics is one example. Some politics is not only parent-child, but child-child. This dynamic, and the effects it produces, is a kind of interminable process that seemingly can never be satisfied...

Sad but true. Negative energy can feed on itself. Kind of like cynicism. Self-awareness is key. Which in a way reminds me of Spock in some sense, LOL:

[JackDaydream]

[The following topic is featured as a leadup to the May philosophy book of the month discussion of Holding Fire.]

Do you think that anger, discompassion and hatred are usually symptoms of weakness? Why or why not?

If you know of any psychological studies into the matter, please post here about them.

Generally speaking, I think that anger, discompassion and hatred are signs of weakness and/or the self-perception of weakness.

Namely, I think people get frustrated by their own weakness, which makes them angry, discompassionate, and hateful and makes them more likely to resort to violence and other primitive and brutish techniques (not as a form of defense but as a means of offensive attack and control). When a person is socially weak, I believe the person will likely compensate by using the brutish techniques associated with anger, discompassion, and hatred.

Additionally, people who believe themselves to be weak will tend to have an inferiority complex, which is notorious for often resulting in excessive aggressiveness as a form of overcompensation, such as in the clichéd case of most schoolyard bullies.

In another example, consider the crazy "school shooters" who go to schools to shoot wildly at their classmates and usually kill themselves. Wouldn't you say that that extreme example of vengeful anger, discompassion, and hatred is a sign of severe weakness and the pathological self-perception of weakness.

In another example, if you back an animal into a corner, making it feel scared and weak, it will lash out violently and erratically, which in humans would be called anger, discompassion, or hatred.

In contrast, wouldn't you say that compassion is generally a sign of strength and clearheadedness? I would. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the strongest historical figures I can think of, and I believe he is a great example of how genuine strength enables a person to act on their love and to influence society without resorting to the destructive use of offensive violence and judgmental vengeance associated with anger, discompassion and hatred?

What do you think?

With anger it can be appropriate at times, but spiral out of control sometimes. It is such a strong emotion based on the physiological aspects of being, both as instinctual drives of sentience and as human forms of coping, involving fight and flight and other biochemical aspects.

If anger is unchecked, which probably involves a response to it, this can lead to many forms of behaviour, which if acted upon can be regretted as a form of weakness. As human beings, weakness, involving action not based on reflective awareness can be problematic and may require the learned art of self-mastery. This may be a difficult art, involving ongoing learning.

At it's best it may involve the channelling of emotions, including anger, so that such emotions may work in a positive way for one's own wellbeing and that of others. It may sound simple but many conflicts, including relationships and even politics may involve difficulties in this, and the way in which what appear as negative emotions may be channelled in a positive way. Perhaps, individuals like Martin Luther King, may serve as useful role models for understanding the intricate and delicate dance and interplay of raw emotions, including the negative aspects, which may be transmuted, in relation to the better side of human nature.

But, the experience of anger may need to be felt and grasped in understanding as a starting point for any transformational possibilities. It may involve a stepping back of experiencing the emotion as opposed to being dragged by it into action through lack of acknowledgement of the force of anger, and it's most explosive possibilities. Jung spoke of as the shadow, involving lack of integration of the opposites within the personality, which may come into play in the many conflicts and dramas of human relationships and battles of politics, values and ideas.

[rainchild]

This question is actually three questions:

Is anger a sign of weakness?
Is discompassion a sign of weakness?
Is hatred a sign of weakness?

What is more, the answers to each of these questions will vary with the scale and nature of the metric of strength.

one: In a hand-to-hand fight between two combatants, anger can be a sign of weakness, since it increases adrenaline, an excess of which makes a fighter incautious and physically shaky, and therefore all the more likely to be overpowered by a disciplined and well-trained fighter who keeps his cool.

On the other hand, anger on the part of the masses can sometimes unseat even the most oppressive dictatorships. Witness Romania, Iran. Revolution doesn't always succeed, and can result in a more oppressive new regime, but the anger that motivates it is hardly a sign of weakness.

two: Discompassion isn't a sign of weakness in any context that I know of; it is often characteristic of strength combined with lack of scruples. A killer is all the more likely to succeed on account of his lack of compassion. The Nazis were not weakened by their lack of compassion either.

three For an individual, hatred can be debilitating in the long run. It is not so much a sign of weakness as a cause of weakness. For a society, chronic hatred, for example, racial bigotry, can cause internal conflict within the society that makes the society weaker.

[popeye1945]

Anger is the result of feeling injured. Hatred is the result of being fearful of. Dis-compassion is a failure to identify with another, or a symptom of a psychopathic state. Weakness is being ill adapted to one's environment in one or more aspects.

[Xenophon]

Actually love of one's enemy, refusal to take offense, and unconditional love are all symptomatic of cultural decay. "A good follower is good fodder," to paraphrase what passes for morality today. The only creature that can afford passivity is one behind a strong wall ("a gated community.") The rest are on borrowed time. Watch the daily news and stop virtue-posturing in front of that full-length mirror.