Why Do People Hate People?

Hate is a strong and sometimes unnecessarily divisive emotion. Learn how to be an “upstander,” helping break the cycle that has consumed our culture.

By Kristine Hoover, Professor of Organizational Leadership, Gonzaga University and Yolanda Gallardo, Dean of Education, Gonzaga University

Biases against certain groups of people can escalate into acts of violence if left unchecked. Paul Taylor/Stone via Getty Images

Have you ever said “I hate you” to someone? What about using the “h-word” in casual conversation, like “I hate broccoli”? What are you really feeling when you say that you hate something or someone?

The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word “hate” as an “intense hostility and aversion usually deriving from fear, anger, or sense of injury.” All over the world, researchers like us are studying hate from disciplines like education, history, law, leadership, psychology, sociology and many others.

If you had a scary experience with thunderstorms, you might say that you hate thunderstorms. Maybe you have gotten very angry at something that happened at a particular place, so now you say you hate going there. Maybe someone said something hurtful to you, so you say you hate that person.

Understanding hate as an emotional response can help you recognize your feelings about something or someone and be curious about…