Evil Definition of Evil inflicts pain and suffering, deprives innocent people of their humanity, and creates feelings of hopelessness and despair. People that are evil do excessive harm, going well beyond what is needed to achieve their objectives. The ultimate product is death. Evil destroys self-esteem, physical and emotional well being, relationships, communities, and nations

Forms of Evil Dreadful Pleasure They do evil instead of coming to grips with their own inner darkness. They try to get rid of it by making others feel dreadful. Inflicting pain is enjoyable. They enjoy being in charge. Evil is a product of chronic boredom. The normal day life is not fulfilling, so evil is attractive because it engages their full energy. Ex. Serial Killer Deception Evil is a form of narcissism or self absorption. Evil people are above reproach, and try to attack anyone who threatens their self-concepts. They try to project a righteous image to deceive themselves and others. Truly evil people are more likely to live in our own neighborhoods. Bureaucracy Organizational members commit heinous crimes while carrying out their daily tasks. The officials rarely engage in the evil, they have others carry out the tasks for them. Ex. Holocaust

Forms of Evil Sanctioned Destruction Widespread evil that occurs when victimizers are given permission to attack groups that have been devalued or dehumanized. This leads to mass murder or genocide. The sanctions can be overt or disguised Ex. Native Americans, 9/11 attacks Choice Some people believe that through our own decision making we move towards becoming evil. We face a series of decisions throughout our life and we decide which direction to take every time we come to the “fork in the road”. Ordinary We all have the potential to become evildoers. Normal people will perform evil acts when they feel peer pressure to participate in acts, obey authority, given permission to engage in antisocial behavior. Evil is likely to continue until others intervene. Ex. Iraqi prisoners