What is meant by violence?

Violence is defined as a physical act that causes or is intended to cause harm. Violence can cause physical, emotional, or both types of harm. Violence is defined by the World Health Organization as the intended use of physical force and power that causes threat or harm against oneself, another person, or against a community or group, and has the potential to cause damage, death, mental distress, maldevelopment, or poverty.

The causes of violence

Studies have looked into a variety of causes that lead to violence, such as neurochemical anomalies (e.g., elevated testosterone levels), information-processing difficulties (e.g., the tendency to perceive others’ behavior as aggressive), personality traits (e.g., lack of compassion toward others), genetic predisposition, and childhood abuse.

Mental illnesses and traumatic incidents

People who suffer from mental illnesses are more likely to commit violent acts. Aggressive behaviors or intense emotions are common symptoms of conditions such as bipolar disorder, attention-deficit disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder. Dealing with traumatic incidents (for example, the death of a loved one in a car accident) can also lead to violent behavior. People who show signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be violent. Violent outbursts are a common symptom of PTSD and, if untreated, can result in extremely violent situations.

Media influence

Media violence impacts people, particularly teenagers, and can lead to aggressive behavior. According to studies, playing violent video games increases aggressive thoughts and actions. They also significantly raise users’ heart rate and blood pressure, as well as their anxious thoughts. In the meantime, these video games reduce "helping behaviors" and feelings of compassion. The use of violence in the media is not confined to video games. Violent media also include the internet, television, magazines, films, music, advertising, social platforms, and other forms of communication.

Domestic violence

Children who grow up in a violent home learn by example and may grow up to be violent themselves. They are also more likely to be aggressors or victims of violence. Other factors that contribute involve a harsh style of parenting, chaos in the home, neglect, and exclusion. Being violent gives teenagers a sense of power and control they lack at home. If we are victims of domestic violence, we can seek assistance by calling the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Inadequate parental supervision

Teenagers are more prone to violent or illegal acts when their parents do not provide support and supervision. Teenagers do not have the resources they need to make good decisions or recognize risks if they are not supervised by an adult.

Drug and alcohol abuse

The use of alcohol and drugs has long been linked to an increased risk of violence. Alcohol and drug use can both increase aggression and decrease fear, increasing the chances of violence. While people typically use recreational drugs and alcohol to feel happy, long-term use of illegal substances frequently results in symptoms of depression, anger, and distress. These emotions can then cause violent and rage-filled behaviors.

Types of violence

According to the World Health Organization, there are three types of violence:

• Self-directed violence
• Interpersonal violence
• Collective violence

Self-directed violence

Self-directed violence is violence inflicted on oneself. Suicidal behavior and self-abuse are two subtypes of self-directed violence. Suicidal thoughts, intended suicides, and completed suicides are all examples of the former. Self-abuse, on the other hand, involves behaviors like self-mutilation.

Interpersonal violence

There are two types of interpersonal violence: family and intimate partner violence—violence predominantly involving family members and intimate partners, which usually but not always occurs in the household. Community violence is described as a conflict that occurs mostly outside the house between unrelated individuals who may or may not know each other. Child abuse and intimate partner violence are examples of violence in the first category. Examples of the latter include youth violence, random acts of violence, rape or sexual assault by strangers, and violence in institutional environments.

Sexual violence: Any sexual act, including attempts to obtain a sexual act, inappropriate sexual comments or advances, or acts in traffic, or otherwise committed against a person’s sexuality using force by any person, irrespective of their relationship to the victim, in any environment, is considered sexual violence. Rape is the physically compelled or compelled penetration of the vulva or anus with a penis, other parts of the body, or object. Sexual assault has severe short- and long-term impacts on victims and their children’s physical, psychological, sexual, and reproductive health.

Intimate partner violence: Intimate partner violence is defined as attitudes in an intimate relationship that lead to physical, sexual, or mental distress, such as physical assault, sexual misconduct, mental torture, or controlling behavior. Intimate partner and sexual assault cause severe short- and long-term physical, mental, sexual, and reproductive health issues for victims and their children, as well as significant socio-economic costs. These include potentially lethal and non-fatal injuries, distress and post-traumatic stress disorder, unwanted pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

Collective violence

Collective violence suggests possible motivations for larger groups of individuals or states to commit violence. Crimes of hatred committed by organized groups, terror attacks, and violent protests are examples of collective violence committed to advance a specific social agenda. War and associated violent conflicts, state violence, and similar acts committed by militant groups are all examples of political violence.

Warfare: War is a state of long-term violence, a massive conflict involving two or more groups of people, generally under the supervision of the government. This is the most heinous form of group violence. War happens to resolve territorial and other disputes, as an aggressive war to capture territory or steal resources, in national self-defense or liberation, or to suppress attempts by a portion of the nation to separate from it.

The effects of violence

Violence, regardless of cause, has a detrimental effect on those who perceive or witness it. Violence can lead to both psychological and physical harm. Perceiving or confronting violence is linked to some mental illnesses, including post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. Other emotional problems prevalent in victims of violence include distress, fear, and mood changes.

Children appear to be especially vulnerable to the adverse effects of violence. Those who are subjected to or witness coercion may experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, frustration, poor emotional regulation, a lack of communication skills, and a lack of compassion. Furthermore, abuse and violence can lead to more aggressive behavior in children. Children are also influenced by the violence depicted on television and in other types of media.

Violence caused the deaths of 1.28 million people worldwide in 2013, an increase from 1.13 million in 1990. However, the world population increased by approximately 1.9 billion during those years, resulting in a significant decrease in violence per capita. In 2013, self-harm was responsible for approximately 842,000 mortalities, interpersonal violence was responsible for 405,000 mortalities, and collective violence and legal intervention were responsible for 31,000 mortalities. There are also plenty of hospital admissions, a large number of emergency department visits, and hundreds of medical visits. Moreover, violence has widespread long-term consequences for overall health as well as social functioning, and it can suppress socio-economic development.

Context and Applications

This topic is significant in the exams at school, graduate, and post-graduate levels, especially for

• Bachelors in Biology or Psychology
• Masters in Biology or Psychology

Practice Problems

Question 1:  War is an example of ______.

1. Self-directed violence
2. Interpersonal violence
3. Collective violence
4. None of the above

Answer: Option 3 is correct.

Explanation:  War is a state of long-term violence, a massive conflict involving two or more groups of people. This is the most heinous form of group violence. War happens to resolve territorial and other disputes, as an aggressive war to capture territory or steal resources, in national self-defense or liberation, or to suppress attempts by a portion of the nation to separate from it.

Question 2:  According to the World Health Organization, violence is the intentional use of physical force and power that causes a threat against _______.

1. Against oneself
2. Another person
3. Against a group or community
4. All of the above

Answer: Option 4 is correct.

Explanation: Violence is defined by the World Health Organization as the intended use of physical force and power that causes threat or harm against oneself, another person, or against a community or group, and has the potential to cause damage, death, mental distress, maldevelopment, or poverty.

Question 3: Which of the following causes collective violence?

1. Territorial and other disputes
2. Aggression to capture territory or steal resources
3. Both 1 and 2
4. None of the above

Answer: Option 3 is correct.

Explanation: Collective violence outlines possible motives for larger groups of individuals or states to commit violence. War and associated violent conflicts, state violence, and similar acts committed by militant groups are all examples of political violence.

Question 4: Which of the following causes violence?

1. Domestic violence
2. Insufficient parental supervision
3. Drug and alcohol use
4. All of the above

Answer: Option 4 is correct.

Explanation: Mental illness and traumatic events, domestic violence, insufficient parental supervision, media influence, drug and alcohol use, etc., are the causes of violence.

Question 5: Which of the following is an example of interpersonal violence.

1. Intimate partner violence
2. Warfare
3. Self-directed
4. None of the above

Answer: Option 1 is correct.

Explanation: Interpersonal violence includes family and intimate partner violence—violence primarily occurring between family members and intimate partners that occurs in the home, although not always. It includes forms of violence such as child abuse and intimate partner violence.