Hostility is seen as a form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior. In everyday speech, it is more commonly used as a synonym for anger and aggression.
For hunter gatherers, every stranger from outside the small tribal group was a potential source of hostility.[1] Similarly, in archaic Greece, every community was in a state of hostility, latent or overt, with every other community - something only gradually tempered by the rights and duties of hospitality.[2]
Tensions between the two poles of hostility and hospitality remain a potent force in the 21st century world.[3]
Us/them
Robert Sapolsky argues that the tendency to form in-groups and out-groups of Us and Them, and to direct hostility at the latter, is inherent in humans.[4] He also explores the possibility raised by Samuel Bowles that intra-group hostility is reduced when greater hostility is directed at Thems,[5] something exploited by insecure leaders when they mobilise external conflicts so as to reduce in-group hostility towards themselves.[6]
Non-verbal indicators
Automatic mental functioning suggests that among universal human indicators of hostility are the grinding or gnashing of teeth, the clenching and shaking of fists, and grimacing.[7]Desmond Morris would add stamping and thumping.[8]
The Haka represents a ritualised set of such non-verbal signs of hostility.[9]
Kelly's model
In psychological terms, George Kelly considered hostility as the attempt to extort validating evidence from the environment to confirm types of social prediction, constructs, that have failed.[10] Instead of reconstructing their constructs to meet disconfirmations with better predictions, the hostile person attempts to force or coerce the world to fit their view, even if this is a forlorn hope, and even if it entails emotional expenditure and/or harm to self or others.[11]
In this sense hostility is a form of psychological extortion - an attempt to force reality to produce the desired feedback,[12] even by acting out in bullying by individuals and groups in various social contexts, in order that preconceptions become ever more widely validated. Kelly's theory of cognitive hostility thus forms a parallel to Leon Festinger's view that there is an inherent impulse to reduce cognitive dissonance.[13]
While challenging reality can be a useful part of life, and persistence in the face of failure can be a valuable trait (for instance in invention or discovery[citation needed]), in the case of hostility it is argued that evidence is not being accurately assessed but rather forced into a Procrustean mould in order to maintain one's belief systems and avoid having one's identity challenged.[14] Instead it is claimed that hostility shows evidence of suppression or denial, and is "deleted" from awareness - unfavorable evidence which might suggest that a prior belief is flawed is to various degrees ignored and willfully avoided.[15]
^G Claxton, Live and Learn (Bristol 1984) p. 14 and p. 19
External links
Quotations related to Hostility at Wikiquote
The dictionary definition of hostility at Wiktionary
January 06, 2023
hostility, hostile, redirects, here, other, uses, hostile, disambiguation, seen, form, emotionally, charged, aggressive, behavior, everyday, speech, more, commonly, used, synonym, anger, aggression, people, heated, argument, york, cityspecialtypsychiatryit, ap. Hostile redirects here For other uses see Hostile disambiguation Hostility is seen as a form of emotionally charged aggressive behavior In everyday speech it is more commonly used as a synonym for anger and aggression HostilityTwo people in a heated argument in New York CitySpecialtyPsychiatryIt appears in several psychological theories For instance it is a facet of neuroticism in the NEO PI and forms part of personal construct psychology developed by George Kelly Contents 1 Hostility hospitality 2 Us them 3 Non verbal indicators 4 Kelly s model 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksHostility hospitality EditFor hunter gatherers every stranger from outside the small tribal group was a potential source of hostility 1 Similarly in archaic Greece every community was in a state of hostility latent or overt with every other community something only gradually tempered by the rights and duties of hospitality 2 Tensions between the two poles of hostility and hospitality remain a potent force in the 21st century world 3 Us them EditRobert Sapolsky argues that the tendency to form in groups and out groups of Us and Them and to direct hostility at the latter is inherent in humans 4 He also explores the possibility raised by Samuel Bowles that intra group hostility is reduced when greater hostility is directed at Thems 5 something exploited by insecure leaders when they mobilise external conflicts so as to reduce in group hostility towards themselves 6 Non verbal indicators EditAutomatic mental functioning suggests that among universal human indicators of hostility are the grinding or gnashing of teeth the clenching and shaking of fists and grimacing 7 Desmond Morris would add stamping and thumping 8 The Haka represents a ritualised set of such non verbal signs of hostility 9 Kelly s model EditIn psychological terms George Kelly considered hostility as the attempt to extort validating evidence from the environment to confirm types of social prediction constructs that have failed 10 Instead of reconstructing their constructs to meet disconfirmations with better predictions the hostile person attempts to force or coerce the world to fit their view even if this is a forlorn hope and even if it entails emotional expenditure and or harm to self or others 11 In this sense hostility is a form of psychological extortion an attempt to force reality to produce the desired feedback 12 even by acting out in bullying by individuals and groups in various social contexts in order that preconceptions become ever more widely validated Kelly s theory of cognitive hostility thus forms a parallel to Leon Festinger s view that there is an inherent impulse to reduce cognitive dissonance 13 While challenging reality can be a useful part of life and persistence in the face of failure can be a valuable trait for instance in invention or discovery citation needed in the case of hostility it is argued that evidence is not being accurately assessed but rather forced into a Procrustean mould in order to maintain one s belief systems and avoid having one s identity challenged 14 Instead it is claimed that hostility shows evidence of suppression or denial and is deleted from awareness unfavorable evidence which might suggest that a prior belief is flawed is to various degrees ignored and willfully avoided 15 See also EditAntisocial personality disorder Death drive Narcissism of small differences Righteous indignationReferences Edit J Diamond The World Until Yesterday Penguin 2013 p 50 and p 290 M I Finley The World of Odysseus Pelican 1967 p 113 4 and p 116 7 K Thorpe ed Hospitality and Hostility in the Multilingual Global Village 2014 p 2 7 R Sapolsky Behave London 2018 Ch 11 384 424 R Sapolsky Behave London 2018 p 45 E Smith Social Psychology Hove 2007 p 493 D Maclean The Triune Brain in Evolution London 1990 p 460 D Morris The Naked Ape Trilogy London 1988 p 109 R Sapolsky Behave London 2018 p 17 D Lester Theories of Personality 1995 p 52 D Lester Theories of Personality 1995 p 52 4 G Claxton Live and Learn Bristol 1984 p 132 and p 250 D Lester Theories of Personality 1995 p 76 D Lester Theories of Personality 1995 p 52 3 G Claxton Live and Learn Bristol 1984 p 14 and p 19External links Edit Quotations related to Hostility at Wikiquote The dictionary definition of hostility at Wiktionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Hostility amp oldid 1131007977, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
