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The cover of On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society

Dave Grossman

An account of resistance to killing, the pressures that erode it, and the psychological costs soldiers may carry. Grossman also examines Vietnam and violence in civilian culture.

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41 parts, about 43 minutes to read.

At a glance

Author
Dave Grossman
Parts
41 parts
Reading time
about 43 minutes
The whole book
Also to read in full

What the summary covers

  1. Fight or Flight, Posture or Submit1 min
  2. Nonfirers Throughout History1 min
  3. Why Can't Johnny Kill?1 min
  4. The Nature and Source of the Resistance1 min
  5. The Nature of Psychiatric Casualties1 min
  6. The Reign of Fear1 min
  7. The Weight of Exhaustion1 min
  8. The Mud of Guilt and Horror1 min
  9. The Wind of Hate1 min
  10. The Well of Fortitude1 min
  11. The Burden of Killing1 min
  12. The Blind Men and the Elephant1 min
  13. Distance: A Qualitative Distinction in Death1 min
  14. Killing at Maximum and Long Range1 min
  15. Killing at Mid and Hand Grenade Range1 min
  16. Killing at Close Range1 min
  17. Killing at Edged Weapons Range1 min
  18. Killing at Hand to Hand Combat Range1 min
  19. Killing at Sexual Range1 min
  20. The Demands of Authority1 min
  21. Group Absolution1 min
  22. Emotional Distance2 min
  23. The Nature of the Victim1 min
  24. Aggressive Predisposition of the Killer1 min
  25. All Factors Considered: The Mathematics of Death1 min
  26. The Full Spectrum of Atrocity1 min
  27. The Dark Power of Atrocity1 min
  28. The Entrapment of Atrocity1 min
  29. A Case Study in Atrocity1 min
  30. The Greatest Trap of All1 min
  31. The Killing Response Stages1 min
  32. Applications of the Model1 min
  33. Desensitization and Conditioning in Vietnam1 min
  34. What Have We Done to Our Soldiers?2 min
  35. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and the Cost of Killing in Vietnam1 min
  36. The Limits of Human Endurance and the Lessons of Vietnam1 min
  37. A Virus of Violence1 min
  38. Desensitization and Pavlov's Dog at the Movies1 min
  39. B. F. Skinner's Rats and Operant Conditioning at the Video Arcade1 min
  40. Social Learning and Role Models in the Media1 min
  41. The Resensitization of America1 min

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