Misanthropy and the aversion and repulsion tohuman beings or to humanity.
O misanthrope (individual who practices misanthropy) is someone who feel uncomfortable with life in society, in addition to distrusting and disliking other people.
Etymologically, the term misanthropy arose from the junction of two Greek words: anthropos, which means "human being", and misos, which means "hate".
Misanthropy is not directly associated with extreme hateful attitudes, such as the feeling of extermination of the human race, for example. It can be reproduced in several ways, the most common being introspection, shyness or antisocial behavior.
Depression, sadness and melancholy are feelings that are associated with misanthropy. However, for misanthropes, these conditions are not considered essentially negative. Misanthropes prefer to remain in a state of isolation or social distance, which can be interpreted as a depressive act.
Some psychologists claim that misanthropy can be caused by various reasons, such as isolation or social alienation, when the misanthrope believes that he does not fit into any social group or that he does not have the common characteristics of a particular society.
A possible explanation for the repulsion that misanthropes feel towards human beings, namely the life in society, is in the fear of disillusionment, in addition to the constant focus on the negative aspects of humanity.
Typically, an individual begins to show signs of misanthropy early in life. Excessive shyness, difficulty making friends, and the desire to be away from other people can be symptoms of childhood misanthropy.
Misanthropy can manifest itself in extreme cases, as a set that encompasses different types of intolerance within social or specific ethnicities, such as misogyny (revulsion and hatred of women), xenophobia (hatred of foreigners), homophobia (hatred of homosexuals) and etc.
know more about Misogyny and Xenophobia.
Characteristics of misanthropy
- Aversion or repulsion to humanity, human beings or social life;
- Individuals who prefer isolation, avoiding social interaction;
- They tend to have extremely logical reasoning;
- Not very empathetic;
- Excessive distrust in other human beings;
- Ironic and sarcastic people;
- It can exist in varying degrees and levels;