The April issue of University Affairs magazine features a story on psychologist Chistopher Burris’ research on hate, which in comparison to its counterpart, love, doesn’t get much attention from researchers.
The general consensus is that hate is an emotion, but Burris argues that hate is a motive. Burris says a motive provides focus directed toward the attainment of a particular goal.
Burris offers up analysis of road rage, movie scenes (e.g., Kathy Bates’ character in the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery), etc. to illustrate various subtypes of hate.
The hate motive does not have to be premeditated nor do emotional experiences inevitably lead to hate. Burris says:
“To the extent that we devalue the other, see them as somehow beneath us or totally unlike us, I believe that becomes the cognitive next step towards the process of hate. And honestly, I feel like once it comes to the point of devaluing the other, hate may be an inevitable consequence.”
All of this got me thinking, not about “big” hate, but about the everyday hate one encounters, particularly in academe. Seems to me two goals that are commonly encountered in the groves of academe are “elevating the self,” and “restoring order.” Denigration and redress, then, are the subtypes of hate all too often exhibited in the “normal” course of university work.
Below is a table from the UA article summarizing Burris’ categories of hate.
Let me count the ways: six subtypes of hate
| Subtype | Emotional antecedent | Goal |
| Sadism | Anticipation, excitement | Pleasure |
| Mutiny | Resentment, exasperation | Assertion of autonomy |
| Tethering | Loss, fear of abandonment | “Securing” the relationship |
| Denigration | Envy, contempt | Elevating the self |
| Redress | Anger, disgust | Restoring order |
| Nihilism | Loathing, seething rage | Destruction of the other |
Source: adapted from “Let me count the ways: An integrative theory of love and hate,” by J. K. Rempel, & C. T. Burris, Personal Relationships (in press).
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