That urge to kill

[Nadia Castle]

Okay so I was sat on the bus today and a guy got on who had a disfigurement on his face. I don't know if it was burn or a rash or what but he had a huge red mark across his face and around his eye. It wasn't particularly horrible or anything but as soon as I saw him I felt some instinctive urge to attack him.

I never actually WOULD attack someone or treat them differently just because they have a condition but I always feel that urge when I see people with missing limbs or growths or something. I thought it might have been an instinctive fear of disease but surely that would make me want to get away rather than kill them?

Does anyone else feel this or am I just a psychopath in waiting or something?

 

[Harley Q]

Rough guess, you see something that makes you uncomfortable, maybe frightens you on some base level. I'd say it's just the fight or flight response. I think as long as you don't actually attack anyone then you shouldn't worry. Like I said fight or flight.

 

[Rawne1980]

That is .... completely normal.

Now, if you will just slip on this new fancy jacket, it fastens up at the back to stop it falling off. It's just to keep you warm .... honest.

 

[JoJo]

Can't say I've ever felt that way because of someone's appearance... some mild disgust maybe but never as far as actually wanting to attack someone, still not really problem as long as it stays in your head. Those who foil my schemes on the other hand... no death is too painful.

 

[Twilight_guy]

I've never felt like that. You might have an odd reaction to fear, or you might have some sort of trauma that involves or expresses itself in reaction to disfigurement. Even if you don't remember a specific incident, little events can have a big impact on your psyche. If it really bothers you, go see a psychiatrist. I wouldn't worry though as people tend to have many thoughts about crazy ideas during the day. It's our ability to suppress and control them that keeps makes us sane. (Or alternately makes us Batman).

 

[Little Woodsman]

Seek counseling. Seriously.
If you are getting an urge to attack someone, for any reason it is important to get to the root
of the problem.
You say that you wouldn't ever act on this urge, but what about on a bad enough day? Or if you fall
asleep on public transport and wake up to someone who you have a violent urge against sitting right
next to you? Are you sure that in those couple of groggy seconds before coming fully awake you wouldn't
do something that might haunt you for the rest of your life?

 

[Guffe]

That is .... completely normal.

Now, if you will just slip on this new fancy jacket, it fastens up at the back to stop it falling off. It's just to keep you warm .... honest.

^You should listen to this guy.

The jacket is so comfortable, you'll never want to take it off.

It also gives a sort of...

Hugging feeling, warm and cosy...

 

[Rose and Thorn]

If someone broke into my flat, that is the only real reason I can think that I would actually attack someone. Perhapes also if I saw someone in public being attacked, I may step in and offer assistance.

Obviously I would also fight in self defense if I had to.

I never get the urge to attack someone because of how they look though, no.

 

[Nadia Castle]

"It's our ability to suppress and control them that keeps makes us sane. (Or alternately makes us Batman)."

Of course it all makes sense now! I shall don a black cape, invest millions into military equipment, and then use it violently assault the physically and psychologically damaged!!

In the case of going out of control don't think I'm actually a danger to anyone as I'm well in control of myself and don't think I've thrown a punch at someone since I was about ten. I just thought it was a little strange that my instinctive reaction was to run AT them instead of run away. Its the exact opposite to what I feel if someone is just ill.

 

[Esotera]

As long as you know that you're not going to do it, that's perfectly normal. I get urges to hurt at least 10-25% of people I know because they're really damn annoying for some reason or another, the important thing is not to act on it.

 

[DevilWithaHalo]

Anytime I see David Caruso doing that stupid action where he puts on his glasses and says some idiotic one liner I feel the overwhelming urge to punch him in the face. So I get it.

 

[an annoyed writer]

I have a similar fear of disfigurement, but I lack the urge to kill. If anything I see people like that in an empathetic light. A big part of me just wants to help in whatever way I can, though I refrain unless asked to out of respect for their privacy.

 

[chadachada123]

snip

I've had your feelings before, OP, but I don't think they are a problem for the common person.

Honestly, I get random "urges" all of the time. Like, while driving, I've had urges to swerve into oncoming traffic, or into pedestrians, or into a tree, etc.

I get similar urges while near a high ledge. A momentary "I kinda want to jump off of this ledge," or "I kinda want to throw my cell phone out of this open window."

I've never acted on them before (obviously, because I'm neither suicidal, crazy, nor murderous), and doubt I ever will. I don't see any issue, OP, so long as they aren't powerful, recurring desires.

If I had to guess, I would say that it's probably an instinctual thing that our mind translates into, "Hey, hey, brain, tell your body to go murder that dude. Trust me."

 

[Combustion Kevin]

I always get violent urges towards people who react dickish to me for my appearance.

It's nothing personal, but I don't think we can be friends.

 

[Doclector]

I feel like that towards normal people sometimes. Hell, I've thought some truly awful things about "pretty" people. They're so damn priviliged, and they don't realise it.

Something almost tribal within us, I think, makes us develop an "us vs them" instinct. You're relatively normal, I assume, so "them" is people who aren't.

Give you credit though. A lot of people wouldn't have resisted that impulse.