Violent Behavior

Violent behavior comes in several forms ranging from verbal threats to physical violence. It is the venting of pent up emotions against a selective target, or the forcing of action against another person’s will. We see this on a personal as well as global level. Violence is depicted in all forms of media.

Overview

There is a huge imbalance in the ratio of men to women in prison, with women making up 7.1% of the prison population in 2004. Men are overwhelmingly the aggressors. There is also a high rate of youth offenders with 34% of all crimes in 2006 committed by individuals under the age of 21. School truancy, vandalism, and drug use all contribute to the rising crime rate among youth.

Media violence, such as television and video games, affects youth, who are a vulnerable audience to these types of media, especially when there are contributing factors such as poverty, inconsistent discipline and permissiveness, and lack of parental affection and support. This can result in delinquency and crime.

Children given proper affection and raised by both parents have a greater likelihood of being non-violent. The early stages of childhood are critical for bonding with parents. This greatly increases the probability of the child being well adjusted. When this type of affection is not received, many children turn to gangs as an alternative source.

Throughout history political and religious ideologies have been the cause of violence. An extreme example of this is the Crusades. But at the same time, most religions and people like Gandhi, believed society could function through non violent means. Gandhi wrote: “A society organized and run on the basis of complete non-violence would be the purest anarchy.”

Children

Any type of violent behavior by a child must be taken seriously. Sure, many kids may grow out of it, but it can also be the sign of more serious antisocial behavior. Fighting, extreme temper, cruelty to animals, physical aggression, tantrums, property destruction, and fire setting are some of the observable behaviors.

These behaviors may be due to a variety of factors such as drug and/or alcohol use, prior exposure to violence, signs of abuse, brain damage from a head injury, and other stressful factors such as poverty, lack of support and divorce.

When signs of violence are visible, seek professional help so that the child can learn effective coping skills through anger management, expression of frustration appropriately, accepting responsibility for actions, and dealing appropriately with consequences.

Prevention

There are many strategies of prevention such as parenting programs, sex education, family support groups, early intervention programs, and monitoring exposure to media violence. Much which is on television and video games are true examples of models of insanity; examples of how not to live your life.

At the same time violent behavior can be greatly reduced by changing one’s perspective and living from a foundation of peace. This can be done by seeing the best in others, performing simple acts of kindness on a daily basis such as smiling at a stranger, picking up trash, being aware of the feelings of anger and resentment and consciously letting them go, praising others instead of criticizing, and respecting the uniqueness of other cultures. These small steps can set the stage for a much more peaceful personal existence, and contribute greatly in creating a more peaceful and joyful world.

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When done reviewing Violent Behavior, click here to return to The Models of Insanity page.

SBI!