Violence

Psychology

Dr.Mushtaq Talib

Lecture 16 Violence

Violence

Violence may be a special case of uncontrolled aggression or a separate entity that has independent aetiologies, while aggression can be directed toward a single person, groups of people, or inanimate object, violence usually denotes interpersonal act, while war and crime are aggressive and violent acts, they usually not premeditated to do harm to an individual person.
A form of violence that is increasing worldwide is terrorism. The perpetrators are usually a single or few individuals, acting on the behalf of others to make a statement of protest agains a given organization or group of persons.
Chemically induced violence:
Is most frequently associated with alcohol, stimulants (amphetamine and phenycyclidine).
There is a strong correlation between alcohol consumption and violence/aggression.
50% of all arrests, 24% of violent deaths, 50% to 64% of all homicides (killer or victim), 34% of all forcible rapes and 41% of all assaults are alcohol-related.
Child abuse
Child abuse sometimes occurs during infancy, preschool and subsequent school age phases.
Child abuse encompasses neglect, active physical trauma and sexual abuse.
Parents reported for abuse of their children themselves were abused children
The parents expect or demand behavior beyond the child’s years or abilities; they do not care for the physical hygiene of the child
They appear to be misusing alcohol or other drugs and they are overcritical of the child.
These parents perceive the child’s expression of needs as being purposeful acts of frustration and irritation to the parent (hungry child cries at night and the parents say that child won’t let me sleep).
Children who are victims of child abuse tend to be more aggressive and violent with peers at school as early kindergarten grades.
There are developing data that soldiers who have developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after exposure to combat have higher rates of various types of child abuse in their backgrounds.
Domestic violence:
By men has been reported at the rate of 4 million women per year.
It apparently occurs in a three-stage cycle:
Phase 1:
Which may last from a few days to years. The husband becomes increasingly critical, verbally abusive and perhaps destructive to things (throws a plate of food on the floor). This phase build-up reaches a peak at which time he enters phase 2.
Phase 2:
Is the violent beating of the wife. This phase is similar to a child’s temper tantrum in that nothing the wife can say or do will intervene in the behaviour, which may last from minutes to days. Then phase 3 follows.
Phase 3:
During which the husband is extremely repentant and attentive and offers convincing statement that he will never do it again. This phase behaviour is the positive reinforcement that prevents the wife from pressing legal charges.
Elder abuse:
The estimated range is that 1 out of 8 to 1 out of 14 elderly are abused each year.
The physical indicators include an injury that has not been cared for properly; cuts, laceration, puncture wounds, bruises, poor hygiene, soiled clothes, poor health care, gross decubiti, burns.
In Rape:
The act is a violent - not a sexual - one, characteristic of non institutional, typical rapist include the following:
15 to 19 years of age
Of a lower socioeconomic status and sexually abused as a child (75%).
Usually these men are conservative and naive.
The most frequent scenario is that the rape occurs in the victim’s home (50%) by someone with whom the women has at least minimal acquaintance.
Psychologically the rape is the best understood as a displacement onto the victim of anger or revenge toward a mother or other women perceived as hostile/castrating/rejection.
Aggression:
Implies the intent to harm or otherwise injure another person.
Aggression and violence occur in many clinical situations, ranging from alcohol and other substances intoxication to cognitive disorders to child abuse to chronic antisocial acts.
When the balance collapse between impulses and internal control, violence breaks out.
Predicators of dangerousness to others:
High degree of intent harm
Pressure of a victim
Frequent and open threats
Concrete plan
Chronic anger, hostility, or resentment.
Early loss of parents
Prior violent acts
Lack of compassion.
Incidence:
Homicides are most prevalent among strangers (55%)
More than 70% of homicides are committed with handguns.
In the USA, homicide is the second leading cause of death among people 15-24 years of age.
Young black man is sometimes more likely to be murdered than a white man of the same age.
Theory of aggression:
Instinct theory (by Freud):
The source of aggression: innate tendencies and aggressive impulses are constantly generated and impossible to avoid.
Drive theory:
The source is externally elicited aggressive drive, the external sources of aggressive drive are common (frustration) and impossible to eliminate.
Social learning theory:
The sources are present social or environmental conditions plus past social learning (Albert Bandura), the appropriate changes in current social and environmental conditions can reduce or prevent overt aggressive actions.
Causes of aggression:
Social:
Frustration
Direct provocation
Televised violence
Environmental:
Air pollusion
Noise
Crowding
Situational:
Heightened physiological arousal
Sexual arousal
Pain
Hormones, Drugs.
Neurotransmitters (cholinergic and catcholamingergic mechanism increase aggressive behaviour while serotonergic GABA decrease aggressive behaviour).
Genetics
Prevention and control
Punishment
Catharsis (providing angry people with an opportunity to engage in expression but non-injurious behaviours reduce their tension or arousal and weakens their tendency to engage in overt and potentially dangerous acts of aggression).
Training in social skills
Introduction of incompatible responses which include empathy and humor
Drug treatment:
Lithium
Anti convulsants
Anti depressants
Anti androgen agents
Aftermath of crime (main emotional effect):
Sense of helplessness
Rage at being a victim: intense anger
Sense of being permanently damaged
Inability to trust or to be intimate with others
Persistent preoccupation with the crime
Loss of belief that the world is just.
(External states necessary)
Conflicts arouse by chemical disinhibition
Interpersonal environment


Increase (impulse) Control (decrease)

Organic or neurological impairment intrapsychic fragility

(Internal states sufficient)
General strategy in evaluating patients
Self protection:
Knows as much as possible about patient
Leave physical restraint to professionals
Be aware to risk of impending violence
Attend to safety of physical surrounding
Have others present during assessment if needed
Have other in the vicinity
Attend to developing an alliance with the patient.
Prevent harm:
Prevent self injury and suicide.
Prevent violence toward others
Rule out cognitive disorder caused by general medical condition
Rule out impending psychosis.
Assessing and predicting violent behavior:
Signs of impending violence:
Recent acts of violence or menacing
Progressive psychomotor agitation
Alcohol and other substance of intoxication
Paranoial psychosis
Other psychotic disorders as catatonia, mania, agitated depression
Personality disorder.
Assessing the risk of violence:
Consider:
Violence ideation, wish
Intention and plan
Availability of means
Consider demographics:
Sex (male).
Age (15-24)
Social state( low)
Social support(low).
Consider patient history:
Violence
Non violence
Anti-social
Impulsive
Psychosis
Consider overt stressors e.g. marital conflict, real or symbolic loss.
IBO Ibrahim Ghazi