I got a friend who honestly believes things like "Putin is crazy because he wasn't showed any love as a kid." Aside from the fact that my friend believes the whole "PUTIN IS CRAZY" meme, the friend also mentioned that Hitler wasn't shown any love either...

Anyone have any resources that debunk this nonsense?

EDIT: I found this: https://www.thesurvivorstrust.org/FAQs/if-someone-is-sexually-abused-during-their-childhood-they-are-likely-to-become-an-abuser-themselves ("The vast majority of child abuse survivors will never perpetrate sexual abuse and are utterly appalled by the insinuation that they are capable of such an act")

EDIT 2: Also found this study: https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/do-abused-children-become-abusive-parents:

Annotation

The belief that abused children are likely to become abusive parents is widely accepted, but the authors contend that this belief cannot be unconditionally supported.

Abstract

A review of case history, agency record, and self-report studies indicates that about one-third of all individuals who were physically abused, sexually abused, or extremely neglected will subject their children to one of these forms of maltreatment. The rate of abuse among individuals with a history of abuse is approximately six times higher than the base rate for abuse in the general population. Although this suggests that being maltreated as a child is an important risk factor in the etiology of abuse, most maltreated children do not become abusive parents. Many mediating factors affect the likelihood of intergenerational abuse. Consequently, unqualified acceptance of the intergenerational hypothesis is unwarranted.

  • CrimsonSage [any]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Abuse does run in families, but assigning individual foibles and personalities as the motivating force behind geo politics is baby brained. Countries, even ones centered on the rule of individuals lie Russia are giant constellations of ideologies economic interests and social groupings.

    Like putins personality may effect the willingness for the Russian state to pursue given policies, but not its impetus. If there wasn't a mass of support for war behind this invasion, then he wouldn't have even been able to launch it, let alone stay in power after it began and has gone so disastrously.