Inappropriate Blame as an Indicator of Alcoholism, not as a Need to Avert Harm
“The human impulse to blame grows out of the evolutionary need to avert harm.â€
So explained Ohio University professor Mark Alicke, who researches the psychology of blame, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal. However, the author of the piece, Jeffrey Zaslow, doesn’t differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate blame in describing Alicke’s views. A group of prehistoric men blaming a member of the group for a threat to their survival for not carrying his load may appropriately point fingers. Someone stubbing a toe on a chair kicking and cursing the chair is reacting inappropriately and childlike. Such behavior is an excellent indicator of alcoholism, suggesting that the human impulse to inappropriately blame grows out of this disease and not an evolutionary need to avert harm.