Violence In The Society

Published Date: 02 Nov 2017

Elyse Panici

Understanding Society, SOCI 1015 EL 10

Carol A. Kauppi

Violence in Society

Violence has been present in society since the dawn of our species, Homo Sapiens, and has been intimately woven into our minds as necessary for survival even when not applicable or appropriate. In some ancient cultures and premodern societies, ritualistic human sacrifice was practiced to appease worshipped deities in the hope it will benefit the greater community, such as bringing the end to a long drought. In modern society, the motivations and causes of violence are vast and diverse - from the need to satisfy the desire for entertainment and recreation to the belief it will benefit the greater community.

This essay will focus on a few key elements that result in increased levels of violence in society, such as the depiction of violence in the media, and how experiencing or witnessing violence in childhood is a contributing factor to a life of crime and violence in later life. This essay will also examine the relationship between violence, poverty, and disadvantaged communities.

Mass media has unintentionally resulted in increased levels of aggression in society. There are numerous reasons why one might learn aggressive behaviour from the media, as pointed out by Felson (1996): television can teach new skills that may be useful for acts of violence, and this may give "direction to those who are already motivated to engage in aggression." and it may lead to more severe forms of aggression such as murder. This is known as modelling behaviour, and has been seen on numerous occasions as noted by Felson:

In one widely reported case in Boston, six young men set fire to a woman after forcing her to douse herself with fuel. The scene had been depicted on television two nights before. In another instance, four teenagers raped a nine-year-old girl with a beer bottle, enacting a scene similar to one in the made-for-TV movie Born Innocent. (p 118)

He is quick to point out the events may be coincidental, but they further prove strange and dramatic behaviours depicted on television are imitated by viewers who otherwise might never have imagined engaging in such behaviours. In highly publicized violence, such as bombings and mass shootings, the waves of similar events occurring afterward are blamed on this imitation behaviour (Felson, 1996)

Depictions of violence in films encourages the development of aggressive thoughts, a theory known as cognitive priming (Felson, 1996). After a violent film, the viewer's brain is primed to respond to situations with increased levels of aggression because, as noted by Bushman and Geen (1990), violence depicted in the media evokes thoughts and emotional responses that are related to aggression.

In addition to violent acts depicted on television causing violent behaviour in viewers, nonaggressive acts are observed to have a correlation as well. The "cultivation effect" (Gerbner & Gross 1976) shows that viewers who watch a lot of television are more distrustful of others, this fear would manifest itself in aggression to threats that do not exist. Similarly, this fear may cause others to avoid aggressive behaviour towards others and may lead to victimization.

Felson (1996) points out repeated and frequent exposure to violence on television may desensitize viewers: resulting in less anxiety about violence and thus may be more likely to engage in violence. Those who do not watch as much violent television programming are more emotional in response to violence and acts of brutality than heavy viewers of television violence (Felson 1996).

In addition to the media contributing to violence in society, disadvantaged communities are prone to increased levels of aggression and violence. According to Harer and Steffensmeier (1992), unequal distribution of income is often thought to influence crime rates in both white and coloured communities.

Social disorganization is often thought to exist in poverty-stricken communities - and is defined as the condition of living in poverty for a large percentage of one's life resulting in constant deprivation, lack of hope, and desperation among individuals (Hiday, 1995). Communities in social disorganization are characterized by persistent poverty, the inability to exert social control over community members, and very few job opportunities aside from illegal or menial jobs (Hiday, 1995). This lack of social control often leads to higher rates of violence and crime (Lee, 2000), especially among the community's unsupervised youth. In a study presented by Hiday (1995), social disorganization and poverty in disadvantaged communities, because of the accompanying chronic stress, directly lead to tense situations or conflicts which may lead to violence. These stressful and tense situations may cause violence because, according to Hiday (1995), one or both participating parties learned from earlier experiences that physical contact (such as pushing and hitting) are acceptable means of settling conflicts, and therefore have never learned peaceful resolution tactics. As violence in a community rises, individuals engage in adaptive avoidance behaviours (Lee, 2000); they often stay out of conflicts and keep to themselves out of fear of retribution. Therefore, it becomes increasingly difficult for residents to exert social control over individuals (Lee, 2000).

Furthermore, social disorganization is the breakdown of essential support networks, such as family, in one's life (Hiday, 1995). Social disorganization is often present in broken and single-parent families (Hiday, 1995) whom offer little shelter and guidance for their children to overcome social dysfunction and hostility in the community (Hiday, 1995). Marans and Adelman (1997) observe that "as the adolescent withdraws from his or her parents [due to the lack of shelter and guidance], the intensity of the attachment to them is shifted to the peer group and new intimate relationships" (pg. 215). This shift implies increased vulnerability to violence in adolescence, and exposure to street violence has a strong and significant effect on future violent behaviour (Hagan and Foster, 2001). In addition, male adolescents are more susceptible to participate in gangs and gang-related violence as an alternative to gain respect and status among his peers within the socially dysfunctional community (Hagan and Foster, 2001).

Female adolescents exposed to violence in disadvantaged communities, however, are 60% more likely to engage in risky sexual behaviours resulting in teenage pregnancy (Hagan and Foster, 2001). And therein lies the vicious cycle - adolescent females in these communities are more likely to become single mothers (from engaging in risky sexual behaviours as a result of witnessing street violence), and because single mothers have fewer social connections (in a disadvantaged community) and are overburdened by the simultaneous pressures of employment and child care, they are unable to effectively monitor social activities and associations of their children (Shihadeh and Steffensmeier, 1994). Thus their children are more likely to engage in risky and violent behaviour.

Because disadvantaged communities are socially isolated from the rest of society, it is unlikely residents will receive medical treatment for mental illnesses either resulting from genetics or the community's constant state of social disorganization (Hiday, 1995). The lack of medical treatment of symptoms of the mentally ill likely leads to substance abuse as the alternative, primarily alcohol, and violence is more likely to be associated with excessive alcohol consumption than other illicit drugs (Auerhahn and Parker, 1998). In conclusion, individuals living in disadvantaged communities are more likely to engage in violent or aggressive behaviour as the result of poor social organization and control among community members, and little or no supportive family structure. The abuse of substances to avoid or lessen the stresses involved in living in a disadvantaged community is also known to be a contributing factor.

Witnessing or experiencing violence among family members is directly related to participation in violence and crime outside of the family. Abuse is defined as not only physical assault, but also sexual and mental abuse, malnutrition, and medical neglect (Straus, 1991). Family violence consists of child abuse, sibling abuse, and spouse abuse. The abuse of family pets can also be seen as abuse among the family. While there are many factors associated with violence at home, the factors deemed most important by researchers are: Low socioeconomic status, poverty, social isolation, mental illness, stress, alcohol and drugs, and growing up in a violent home (Gelles, 1985). While living in a disadvantaged community increases the likelihood of being abused as a child, it is important to note victims may originate from ordinary families that do not suffer from social disorganization. This essay will focus mainly on child and animal abuse experienced or witnessed, respectively, in childhood as a contributing factor to a life of crime and violence in later life.

While abused children statistically have higher rates of mental difficulties, drug abuse, and criminal behaviour (Gelles, 1985), many studies have shown even corporal punishment contributes to the likelihood the child will commit crimes, violence, and assault as adults (Straus, 1991). However, as pointed out by Kurtz (1991), Straus fails to differentiate between the differences in gender regarding use of physical force in later life: adult women who experienced abuse as a child are more likely to commit only child abuse themselves, while male adult victims are more likely to commit wife battery, assault, and homicide in addition. Not all victims of child abuse commit spouse abuse, homicide and child abuse themselves - a point Straus also fails to mention.

However, recent studies have indicated adolescents in both correctional and mental health facilities tended to have experienced abuse as a child (Macmillan, 2001) and a study done by Rivera and Widom (1990) found that abused children had earlier involvement in violence and crime. In addition, Widom (1989) noted victims of child abuse were twice as likely to be arrested for violent crime than those whom were not abused as children. In Hagan and McCarthy's study of street kids in Vancouver and Toronto (1997), it was discovered physical and sexual abuse experienced as children were "key precursors" in future involvement in violent and nonviolent crime, such as prostitution, theft, and substance abuse. Victimization thus appears as an important precursor to increased rates of violence, arrests, and crime over the victim's life.

Surprisingly, despite the commonality of animal abuse, specific research regarding the link between violence towards animals and various forms of family violence are rare. However, it is crucial this link be explored for a few reasons: past clinical studies have revealed an association between child abuse and animal abuse as well as violence towards others (Felthous and Kellert, 1986). Therefore, it is reasonable to assume children and adolescents who commit animal cruelty are more likely to engage in aggressive or violent behaviour towards others; a statement of which is supported by Felthous and Kellert (1986) among others. Animal abuse is thus viewed as a predictor of later criminality and violence as an adult, as inflicting cruelty towards smaller and weaker creatures indicates a problem with empathy, resulting in future violence and otherwise unpleasant interactions with humans.

In conclusion, the blame of increased levels of violence in society can be placed on a few key indicators, such as the depiction of violence in the media, how experiencing or witnessing violence among family members increases the likelihood of crime and violence, and the relationship between violence, poverty, and disadvantaged communities. However, it is important to note the factors discussed in this essay are not the only elements responsible for violence in society and that this essay has barely scratched the surface in regards to this. While violence will always be present in society in one form or the other, it is important to note excessive violence can be reduced by implementing supportive social structure where little or none exists.