Date of Award
Spring 4-21-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
May 2026
Department
English
College Granting Degree
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department Granting Degree
English
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Stephanie Anderson
Abstract
The Hate Circuit: A Collection of Essays on Hate and Healing is a lyric essay collection tracing the neuroscience, psychology, and lived experience of hatred and its slow unraveling. Rooted in the author’s relationship with her alcoholic mother, the essays move between memoir and scientific inquiry, examining how hatred forms in the brain, how it is inherited across generations, and what it costs to sustain it. Drawing on research in neuroscience, attachment theory, and the psychology of forgiveness, the collection argues that hatred is not simply an emotion but a circuit—one that can, with effort, be rewired. The essays ultimately chart a path from cruelty toward compassion, tracing the difficult, nonlinear work of forgiving both another person and oneself.
Recommended Citation
Murphy, Vivian, "THE HATE CIRCUIT: A COLLECTION OF ESSAYS ON HATE AND HEALING" (2026). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 325.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/325