On Killing: The Psychological Cost Of Learning To Kill In War And Society

Drawing on interviews, published personal accounts and academic studies, Grossman investigates the psychology of killing in combat. Stressing that human beings have a powerful, innate resistance to the taking of life, Grossman argues that the breakdown of society, combined with the pervasive violence in the media and interactive video games, is conditioning children to kill in a manner similar to the army's conditioning of soldiers.