The chapter examines the concepts of individual hate and group hatred within the context of American society and from a social scientific perspective. It relies heavily on the literature of social psychology and other related disciplines. Using that literature as a base permits examination of processes that function at both the individual and group level, which in turn allows for some understanding of the more common ways in which hate can become manifest. The social psychological literature is also useful to understand the origins of hate because of its many research studies on the related concepts of attitudes, prejudice and stereotyping and the theoretical importance it gives those concepts in developing a clear understanding of hate. The chapter offers various definitions of hate and discusses it as a continuum from milder to more extreme forms of negativity. It discusses the similarity between mild hate and prejudice and identifies and provides brief descriptions of important theoretical approaches to understanding stereotyping and prejudice. Finally, it returns to the distinctions between various definitions of hate and proposes questions and directions for future consideration and exploration. Notes, references