WHAT IS DARK PSYCHOLOGY?
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt
It hides behind stars and under hills and empty holes it fills
It comes first and follows after. Ends life, kills laughter”
J.R.R Tolkien – The Hobbit
The mind is one of the most complex aspects of human nature. The workings of
the mind are something that has both puzzled and intrigued mankind for as long
as we can remember. Philosophers, psychologists and scientists have sought to
unravel the mysteries of the mind. It is a generally held belief that the human
mind influences our behavior and actions. So, a lot of research work has gone
into understanding the mental process that a person undergoes before taking
action, whether good or bad.
Some attempts at studying the human mind have concentrated efforts on
the brain. These studies look at the physical aspects of the brain with a focus on
how information is acquired, processed, interpreted and stored. Essentially, they
hope to get a better understanding of how the brain can affect a person's way of
reasoning. It is studies like these that has paved the way for progress in
managing debilitating conditions like Alzheimer, perception difficulties and
even memory loss.
The more familiar aspect of the study of the human mind is psychology.
At some point in our lives, we have either consulted a psychologist or we have
known someone who had to consult with one in order to navigate our tougher
emotional battles. A lot of times, life's experiences breaks us down in ways we
cannot fix on our own. Sometimes, the breakdown is as a result of certain
biological markers we inherited from our parents. Emotions like depression,
anxiety and fear darken our daily experiences making it difficult to thrive. With
a combination of drugs and therapy we are able to protect ourselves from the
darkness within.
But, what about the darkness in others?
Everyone has the capacity of doing great good. We also possess the
ability to do great evil. Beneath emotions like sadness, depression, joy and
happiness is a deep seethed desire that can lead us to deliberately harm others if
those urges are not brought under control. These darker desires are rooted in
more primitive instincts like our flight or fight response that promotes our
survival. Sometimes, there is only one word that qualifies the human response to
these dark emotions...evil.
Dark psychology is a study of the human condition in relation to the
psychological nature of humans to prey on others. In lay terms, dark psychology
explores that aspect of human nature that allows us deliberately and willfully
take actions that bring harm to our fellow humans. Mind you, the use of prey in
this context does not necessarily translate into the physical harming of a person
although, there is a branch of dark psychology that is dedicated entirely to this.
In subsequent chapters, we will touch briefly on those areas to get a better
understanding of the topic.
In movies or books, you may have come across words or phrases
alluding to “a darkness within”. Even some of the most famous philosophers
made references to this. The revered book of the Christians talks about how “the
heart of man is desperately wicked”. We have all encountered that one
individual who we have described as exceptionally calm or reserved in social
settings only for this same individual to perpetrate an act so devious that we find
it difficult to associate that act with this individual in question. Sometimes, we
are that individual. As surprising as it may seem, it is not entirely shocking.
Those cases are just triggered responses to external situations. The pot
was stirred so to speak and those dark emotions that hid beneath simmered to the
surface.
Usually they recede once control is exerted. Everyone has a latent
tendency to be a bit naughty or just downright evil if the right “buttons” are
pushed. Some other individuals on the other hand are fully in control of these
dark emotions. They nurture them, feed them and when it serves their own
purposes, they willfully unleash them at the expense of another person.
Sometimes, these emotions are groomed from an early age. A child
learns that if he or she cries in a certain way, the adults in their lives rush to do
their bidding. If the parents do not impress on the child early enough the
wrongness of this, the child grows up thinking people in their lives can be
manipulated into doing their bidding. The crying would cease to be a weapon as
they grow but they would continue in their manipulative ways. Where they don't
use tears, they use emotions to blackmail their victims. So, what started out as an
innocent childish behavior becomes a dark need to control.
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