Violence and Aggression
Introduction
People express different types of behaviors that represent their physical, psychological, social, and emotional wellbeing. Two main concepts assist in explaining the behavior of a person. These are violence and aggression. These terms have a lot in common but differ in meaning and application. Violence refers to the use of physical force with an intention to cause harm or destroy property belonging to the opponent. On the other hand, aggression represents the violence behavior (Anonymous, 2016). Experts in the field of social psychology have done a lot of studies and observations to determine the relationship these two concepts and everyday behavior of individuals. People demonstrate each of these concepts for different purposes. Moreover, different factors contribute to a person becoming either aggressive or violent or both. The following paper analysis concepts of violence and aggression in the field of nursing.
Scholars in the field of psychology have conducted numerous studies that explain these concepts of violence and aggression. A person committing the act of violence may act with aggression while an aggressive person may not demonstrate any sigh of violence. An act of aggression may result in a physical or verbal harm, but aggressive people mostly behave in that manner to defend themselves from opponents or attackers. Psychologists associate the acts of violence with environmental factors or a mental condition acquired genetically or because of the abuse of drugs. On the other hand, research shows various negative impacts associated with these concepts. These impacts influence the society and the individual.
A study by Escobar-Chaves and Anderson on media and risky behaviors found out that the youth is at high risks of expressing violence and aggressive behaviors because of the media influence. High levels of media exposure among youths in the U.S. lead to increased adolescent risky behaviors. The country records U.S. $158 each year on direct and indirect costs of deaths and injuries caused by violent activities among the youth. It becomes very worrying that parents and the public, in general, have not yet realized potential risks posed by the media despite the efforts to expose such behaviors (Escobar-Chaves and Anderson, 2008).
On the other hand, research shows a close relationship between the concept of aggression and violence and behaviors expressed by people each day. Many studies focus more on children and young adults in determining this relationship. The researcher should have enough clinical knowledge, familiarity with relevant skills, and extensive diagnostic interview when assessing adolescents and children for potential aggressive and violent behaviors. Children and adolescents engagement in violent and aggressive behaviors cause many negative impacts. According to Rappaport and Thomas (2004), the youth and children involvement in aggressive and violent behaviors has potentially grave implications. In their study, Rappaport and Thomas revealed that the understanding of violent and aggressive behaviors among the youth and the children needed the expertise of a clinician. The study identified numerous factors that lead to these behaviors. Among them are psychological disorders, poor social attachment, lack of proper discipline, and exposure to illegal activities. Psychologists should devise effective interventions upon realizing a person expressing signs of violence and aggressive behavior to prevent adverse effects.
The concept of violence and aggression in nursing
The concept of violence and aggression has a lot of significant in the field of nursing. The field of nursing plays a critical role in defining our health and wellbeing. Healthcare staffs face many challenges when presented with a violent or aggressive patient. Nurses should have more knowledge on individual’s behavior to offer quality and patient-centered care. Nurses through research express different interventions for dealing with violent and aggressive individuals, which play a big role in the normal interaction among humans. In many instances, nurses associate the concept of aggression and violence with a mental disorder. According to Li (2004), a strong relationship appears between mental illness and aggressive behaviors.
Nurse’s view on the concept of violence and aggression shows not differences from the view of other researchers. In fact, both share the same reasoning on factors that cause violence and aggressive behaviors. Stevenson, Jack, O’Mara, and LeGris (2015) carried an investigation to determine nurse’s experiences in dealing with patient violence in the acute care. Registered nurses are at greater risks of experiencing violent behaviors from patients and the public visiting hospitals compared to other healthcare providers. Nurses in the range of 25 and 80 percent working in acute care hospital report one or more forms of patient violence each day. According to Stevenson et al., (2015), patients visiting the acute care department demonstrate different forms of aggressive and violent behaviors that influence their health outcome. Nurses undergo adequate training that assists them to determine strategies for dealing with patients demonstrating different forms of behaviors. In the interview with registered nurses, authors realized most nurses had experienced different forms of physical violence initiated by patients. The study associated violence behavior among patients with patient’s illness.
On the other hand, aggressive and violent behavior among patients created negative outcomes that affected the outcome of nurses in acute hospitals. Nurses suffered both physical and emotional harms because of exposure to daily forms of violence from patients. The analysis by Stevenson and others reveal that however people face different forms of violent behaviors from others in the society; they should learn to cope with the situation or look for an alternative. Nurses deal with different types of people in the society, and they should be prepared to face different behaviors. For instance, mentally ill people visiting hospitals express very aggressive behaviors by either trying to harm other patients, the staff, themselves, or even the hospital property. Nurses conduct researchers to establish methods and interventions of dealing with violent patients to improve hospital safety (Bowers et al., 2011).
The influence of violence and aggression concepts on leader’s choices in an organization
The choice of a leader in the organization or any other social environment must observe the concept of violence and aggression in an individual candidate. The concept of violence and aggression influences the leader’s behaviors in the organization, which in return influences the organizational outcome. The practice of nursing demands a leader with the capability of overcoming different challenges presented by individuals. On the other hand, the chosen leader should have skills in behavior management to lead other employees towards creating a safe environment for clients and visitors. Violent and aggressive leaders have a negative impact on the outcome of the organization because they cannot control other people.
Conclusion
The concept of violence and aggression has a lot of weight not only in the fields or research and nursing but also in different other environments. People should understand their levels of aggression and violence. The discussion reveals that researchers focus more on children and adults in the study of aggression and violence. Violence and aggressive behaviors cause many negative implications to the society and the individual. Experts in psychology play a great role in assisting the society to understand impacts associated with different violent and aggressive behaviors and creating interventions to overcome these challenges.
References
Anonymous. (2016, Jan. 21). Aggression and violence. GoodTherapy.org. Retrieved 29 April,
2016 from http://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/aggression-violence
Bowes, L., Stewart, D., et al (2011, May). Inpatient violence and aggression: A literature
review. Report from the conflict and containment reduction research programme. Kings College London: Institute of Psychiatry.
Escobar-Chaves, S. and Anderson, C. A. (20080. Media and risky behaviors. The Future of
Children, 18(1), 147-180.
Liu, J. (2004). Concept Analysis: Aggression. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 25(7),
693–714.
Rappaport, N., and Thomas, C. (2004). Recent Research Findings on Aggressive and Violent
Behavior in Youth: Implications for Clinical Assessment and Intervention. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35(4), 260-277.
Stevenson, K. N., jack, S. M., O’Mara, L., and LeGris, J. (2015). Registered nurses' experiences
of patient violence on acute care psychiatric inpatient units: an interpretive descriptive study. BioMedical Central Nursing, 14(35), 1-13.
