Foundation for the Study of Political Pathology

The Psychology of War, Genocide, and Terrorism

Core Ideas

These newsletters express some of the Foundation’s central ideas. Select an image to read the full text.

Freud, Hitler –– and the Death InstinctFreud, Hitler –– and the Death Instinct
St. Paul, the Body of the Church, & the Body PoliticSt. Paul, the Body of the Church, & the Body Politic
Against Evolutionary Psychology: The Cultural Origins of Human ViolenceAgainst Evolutionary Psychology: The Cultural Origins of Human Violence
Koenigsberg's Theory of Ideological PossessionKoenigsberg's Theory of Ideological Possession
Nations are living organismsNations are living organisms
The purpose of war is not to kill–but to die.The purpose of war is not to kill–but to die.
Shoveled into a Furnace: The Holocaust replicated the First World War.Shoveled into a Furnace: The Holocaust replicated the First World War.
Why war? To erect memorials to the dead?Why war? To erect memorials to the dead?
The most original thesis ever written on the nature of warfare?The most original thesis ever written on the nature of warfare?
Is warfare about the production of corpses and mutilated bodies?Is warfare about the production of corpses and mutilated bodies?
The purpose of war is to create memorials to the dead.The purpose of war is to create memorials to the dead.
To become a significant historical figure: Kill a lot of people.To become a significant historical figure: Kill a lot of people.
Hitler's Holocaust: The Logic of War & Genocide (review by James Tyner)Hitler's Holocaust: The Logic of War & Genocide (review by James Tyner)
Soldiers die to prove the validity of a society's sacred ideal.Soldiers die to prove the validity of a society's sacred ideal.
If German soldiers had to die in battle, Jews would be required to die in gas chambers.If German soldiers had to die in battle, Jews would be required to die in gas chambers.
Ideologies become real when they are irrigated by blood.Ideologies become real when they are irrigated by blood.