B. Cyrulnik examines the emotional pathologies which are responsible for the problematic socialization of individuals. They are the source of our most flagrant social ills: violence, racism, juvenile delinquency, sexual transgressions, etc. He demonstrates, in particular, how promiscuity and absence prevent individuals from socializing their emotions into ritual (like the nuptial ceremony of animals or the human seduction scene), pushing them instead to anti-social action (violence, rape, incest, etc.).