Violence may be described as the willful use of force resulting in harm or damage to another person or to property. The damage may be physical, psychological or the deprivation of a particular thing. Violence may be directed at one self, between two individuals (interpersonal violence) or by a group of individuals against a particular person or other groups (collective violence). Zizek believes that violence takes three forms: subjective, objective and systemic. Various theories have been advanced to explain the causes of violence and also explain why some people are considered to be more prone to violence than others. These include biological factors, environmental factors, sociological factors and psychological factors. Violence is inherently linked to crime. Non-violent crimes are often regarded as victimless crimes where the so called ‘victims’ are most likely willing participants.
Scientists have, for decades, attempted to establish a nexus between biological traits and the predisposition to violence. Cesare Lombroso conducted several studies that attempted to link a person’s physical traits such as brow ridge to their tendency to commit crime and predisposition to violence. He claimed that crime and violence were traits that could be genetically inherited. Adrain Raine discusses how impairments to particular areas in our brain could increase the likelihood of a person becoming violent. According to him, some cases of violent behavior are a result of nature and not nurture. Dysfunctions in the pre-frontal area of the brain could make it difficult for some men to control their levels of aggression or anger.
Environmental factors also contribute to the rise in violent crimes. This may be regarded in terms of social, economic and political set-ups. Persons who are brought up in abusive homes where their fathers abuse their mothers or other family members either physically or psychologically are likely to exhibit the same tendencies in their own homes. Violent events that occur around a child during their formative years are likely to leave an imprint of the same in their minds and become the only language they understand. The social environment around a person also has an effect on their likelihood to resort to violence. For example, persons who grow up in neighborhoods run by street gangs or other crooks quickly learn to adapt to the system. In an area where everyone walks around with a gun and is willing to use it to get the power of material objects then it would seem not to do the same even though it is just to protect one’s self. The growth of the black market trade in guns and ammunition has also contributed to the rise in violent tendencies across New York and other cities. Obtaining an untraceable gun with just a few dollars is relatively easy. The fact that the gun could be used to rob stores or threaten persons into doing one’s bidding makes it a worthy, not to mention, cheap investment.
The economic environment has been known over the years to be one of the greatest factors that push people into crime. Rising unemployment rates leave grown men with no means to provide for themselves or their families. This is undeniably frustrating and this frustration is usually taken out on their families or on the public. Men abuse their wives when they feel that their authority in their homes has been challenged or that they are unable to feel fulfilled as men because they cannot provide for their families. They turn to violent crimes as a livelihood to make ends meet. This assertion that persons resort to crime because of unemployment may be challenged by the fact that some persons are pathological criminals and abusers. Violence may also be tied to difference between classes in society. Persons from the lower or middle class are more likely to use violence to express their feelings. For example, in many countries, soccer fans whose teams lose their matches have been known to attack supporters of the winning teams or even the soccer players themselves. Studies have also advanced that blacks may be more prone to violence because of their culture.
Political set-ups have also been known to influence the occurrence of violence. This is because political parties are premised on particular ideological beliefs which may not be universally accepted. Political intolerance has been known to pit man against man especially in situations where men become so engaged in national political affairs that they fail to consider other aspects of their lives. The post-election violence witnessed in Kenya in 2007-2008 is proof of violence as a result of political intolerance. Politicians in power have also been known to use violence to quell resistance to their ideals in order to attain their political ambitions. This could result in genocide where one group is eliminated on the basis of their ethnicity, religion or race as was the case in Rwanda. Political violence may also be regarded in terms of police brutality. In this case, local law enforcement officers use excessive force against civilians in the name of fighting crime. Cases of police brutality are usually fuelled by racial intolerance or personal hatred against a particular criminal. Police have been known to be excessively violent whilst dispersing political demonstrators. Violence may also be used by governments to defend their territories from invasion by other states. Religious intolerance also contributes to violence. Perceptions about Muslims or Christians could lead to ‘Holy Wars’ in defense of one’s faith and doctrines.
Violence may also be caused by psychological factors. These factors describe one’s state of mind and usually include a person’s emotions. Studies have indicated that children who grow up in fatherless homes are more likely to become violent. This is because fathers are often regarded as custodians of discipline in the home and their absence provides an avenue for a child to grow up willful and aggressive. Children who do not grow up in loving families are more likely to find in hard to fit into society. Once rejected by their peers, such children often join delinquent groups who may engage in violent crimes. This can be traced back to the absence of loving parents and gentle guidance at the family level.
Self-directed violence is often fuelled by psychological factors such as depression or low self-esteem. This may be manifested by a person cutting themselves or attempting suicide. Parents often associate tendencies such as withdrawing from friends and family, wearing of dark colored clothes and being generally negative about life to teenage Goth behavior but it could be an indication of greater underlying problems. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teenagers. Cases of self-directed violence are more likely to occur where one has a drinking problem, stays in social isolation or suffers from a mental disorder. Persons who undergo a traumatic experience are also likely to become prone to violence. This is medically referred to a PTSD (Post traumatic Stress Disorder). PTSD has been said to increase a person’s hostility as a self-defense mechanism. This makes persons suffering from PTSD more prone to violence. This has been seen in veterans who return from wars such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan and always edgy even in non-conflict prone situations.
Jealousy, revenge and the desire to be in control have been described as some of the causes of violence among the youth who are dating. Cases of love-triangles gone wrong are not uncommon where one partner is killed or assaulted because of a desire to get even or better yet to get the person out of the picture. Aggression has also been linked to violent behavior. Psychologically, this may be caused by stress, frustration from being unable to attain goals that one has sought for a long time, a reaction to the society’s culture and the expected benefit from violent behavior. Frustration may be caused by environmental factors.
The media has been known to influence the occurrence of violence. Programs aired are increasing violent in nature and given the technological advances of the present day; such media are accessible even to children. Children are likely to mimic what they see. These programs are often detailed, showing exact steps to take in carrying out the perfect crime and how to erase evidence in a way that makes it difficult for the police to trace such offenders. Adults are also affected by violent programs. The adrenal rush the experience when they are at the edge of their seats during a horror movie may push them into trying out the actual experience just to establish whether the rush would be the same or better. Thus an adrenaline junkie is born who thrives on violence. As Slavoj Zizek put it ‘Cinema is the ultimate pervert art. It does not give you what you desire- it tells you how to desire’.
Malcom compares the spread of violence in any community to the evolution of the Hush Puppies trend. These suede shoes had been out of style for ages until a few people began spotting them and the idea caught on, quickly becoming a trend as the shoes made a comeback. Violence is a social epidemic of sorts and follows the principles of all epidemics. First, it is contagious. It only takes one person who successfully engages in a criminal act to inspire other to try the same. Second, it has the butterfly effect whereby a small act can result in massive changes. Humans are trained to think critically and analytically and are thus able to draw links between particular acts and certain effects. For example, a person would be able to tell that if they are unable to purchase a laptop using their own money, the same may be obtained by threatening to bash someone’s face in if they did not hand over theirs to you. Third, the ideological change to violence comes as a wave. The idea catches on so fast it is almost as though everyone thought of it at the very same time. Thus violence may be a result of the epidemic-like spread of an idea. Malcom puts it aptly, ‘The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire’ .
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcom. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2000.
Paradiso, Eugenio. "The social, political and economic causes of violence in Argentine Soccer." The Canadian Student Journal of Anthropology (2009): 65-79.
Raine, Adrain. The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime. New York: Pantheon, 2013.
Wolfgang, Marvin E. and Franco Ferracuti. The subculture of violence: Towards an integrated theory in criminology. London: Tavistock Publications, 2007.
