4215: Speaking with the Devil: Exploring Senseless Acts of Evil

About the Course:

Dr. Goldberg provides a thorough and fascinating investigation of the evolution of evil. He argues that malevolent deeds are no more a product of mental illness than they are compelled by Satan. People do not turn into Hitlers or Jeffrey Dahmers overnight, but rather they “learn by doing,” he asserts. In other words, how we have responded to earlier choices shapes our moral (and immoral) choices now and in the future.

Author

Goldberg, Carl, Ph.D.  

About the Author:

Dr. Goldberg is the author of more than 150 professional publications and eleven books. He is an editor of two journals, The International journal of Psychotherapy and The Journal of Adult Development. He was an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Social Science at New York University.

Course Objectives:

1. to be able to discuss the developmental phases involved in the forging of a malevolent personality.

2. to be able to discuss constructive responses to malevolence.