In the early chapters, Menninger builds up on the framework of his previous book Man against Himself in which he presents the "psychoanalytic theory of suicide".
He analyses the main issues of a society which forces the neglect of our instinctual needs and consequently strengthens unconscious passive aggression and self-destructive behavior.
In the remaining chapters Menninger proposes a solution how this vicious circle could be broken by means of work, play, faith, hope, and love.
Looking at a society bestowed with war, in which aggression and hate override the life instinct, raises the question by which means one can encourage love and transform the impulse to fight.
However, if women then take on the role of a mother, the repressed aggressive impulses towards men have a negative impact on the development of the male child.
[4] A society can change and one should use the intelligence and the means provided by science to implement love as the most important value and consequently make the world a peaceful place.
Critics mostly praised the book for its comprehensive and provocative manner of discussing the war of our instinctual forces and its consequences for the human kind.
[5] The American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation compliments Menninger's piece of work as an “extremely well written stimulating and illuminating discussion of psychological and psychoanalytic areas of study and experience”.
[7] Lastly, the Journal of the American Medical Association emphasized in its review the importance of Menninger's book for society in stating that “such wisdom is needed today more than ever before, for an explosive individual or national outburst of temper of a series of badly mixed signals might blow us all away”.
[9] Love against Hate was first brought out in the United States of America, which played a major role in the Second World War since the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor.
[14] The understanding that every person could develop mental health issues under certain circumstances resulted in a transformation of the perception of psychology as a field, as well as its treatment possibilities.