Violence and Aggression

1. “Violence is the antithesis of creativity and wholeness. It destroys community and makes humanity impossible.” ---Martin Luther King, Jr. “There can be no peace as long as there is grinding poverty, social injustice, inequality, oppression, environmental degradation, and as long as the weak and small continue to be downtrodden by the mighty and powerful.” ---Dalai Lama Violence and Aggression

2. A Funny Little Introduction!

3. Solutions to Violence and Aggression Reduce exposure to media violence and aggressive role models, especially for children and adolescents. A large body of literature now shows that violent media can have many effects: • Perception of world as a violent place • Reduction of inhibitions toward aggression • Imitation of specific aggressive acts • Desensitization to the severity of violence • Decreased empathy for victims of violence • Endorsement of violence to solve problems Source: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~psyb10/lecture21/lecture21

4. Reduce Exposure to Media Violence Source: http://www2.sfu.ca/media-lab/research/safeschool.pdf

5. The effect of TV/Video Violence on Aggression “The strength of the correlation between media violence and aggressive behaviour found on meta-analysis is greater than that of calcium intake and bone mass, lead ingestion and lower IQ, condom non-use and sexually acquired human immunodeficiency virus infection, or environmental tobacco smoke and lung cancer, which clinicians accept and on which preventive medicine is based without question.” American Academy of Paediatrics, 2001

6. Comparisons of the effect of TV/Video violence on aggression with other effects (Bushman and Anderson, 2001) Source: info.wlu.ca/~wwwpsych/rbuehler/Teaching/week%2010.post.f08

7. Solutions to Violence and Aggression • Replace the use of corporal punishment with more positive child control techniques. • In the US 74% of parents say the spank their children (aged 17 and under) • Of those parents with 3-4 yr olds, 94% say they use corporal punishment • Studies on corporal punishment suggest spanking tends to lead to immediate compliance of the child, but • associated with decreased internalization of morals, poorer parent-child relationships, poorer mental health of child and adult, more delinquency and antisocial behaviour • at risk for abuse or abusing one’s child or spouse • more angry, aggressive and stressed • Source: www.ualberta.ca/~carmen/325a1/Family%26Parenting.ppt

8. Positive Child Control Techniques

9. Positive Child Control Techniques • Most researchers contend that the relationship between spanking and antisocial behavior is bidirectional and causal. • This means that antisocial behavior already present in children, such as aggression, typically leads to more spanking by the caregiver. • Then, frequent and long term spanking is associated with more antisocial behavior such as delinquency, noncompliance and aggression. • Consequently, antisocial behavior is related to more spanking, which in turn is related to more antisocial behavior. • Source: http://adoptionthroughpropitiation.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/to-spank-or-not-to-spank.pdf.

10. Solutions to Violence and Aggression Reduce social rewards for aggressive activities, including those previously thought to be cathartic. Indulging in aggression generally serves to make future aggression more likely. Why? • Acting aggressively may be rewarding (i.e., it makes us feel better or lets us get our way) • It may create an aggressive habit (cycle of priming violence and behaving violently) • We may start to blame the victim for being the target of our aggression Source: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~psyb10/lecture21/lecture21

11. Reduce Social Rewards for Aggressive Activities

12. Solutions to Violence and Aggression Increase social rewards and social support for nonaggressive pro-social activities. • Seeking out apologies (and giving them) instead of rumination on transgressions • Practicing empathy for others • Rewarding non-aggressive behavior instead of punishing aggressive behavior • Social modeling of non-aggressive behavior • Monitoring and discussing media portrayals of violence (i.e., realism, consequences, etc.) Source: www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~psyb10/lecture21/lecture21

13. Increase Rewards for Nonaggressive Pro-social Activities

14. Solutions to Violence and Aggression Change Spending Priorities – Increase the quality of social programs designed to decrease difficulties that interfere with normal learning and socialization processes (e.g. adequate health care, education, social supports). Annual estimates US $ billions: • Additional amount of money needed each year to provide reproductive health care for all women in developing countries: 12 • Amount of money spent annually on perfumes in Europe and the United States: 12 • Additional amount of money needed each year to provide water and sanitation for all people in developing nationspet food costs in USA & Europe: 9 • Amount of money spent annually on cosmetics in the United States: 8 • Additional amount of money needed each year to provide basic health an nutrition needs universally in the developing world: 13 • Amount of money spent each year on pet food in Europe and the United States: 17 • Additional amount of money needed each year to provide basic education for all people in developing nations: 6 • Amount of money spent each year on militaries worldwide: 780 Source: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/764

15. Learning and Socialization Processes Source: Source: www.ualberta.ca/~carmen/325a1/Family%26Parenting.ppt

16. Solutions to Violence and Aggression Increase the quality of parenting by providing instruction, social support and economic support. Parenting Factors and Risk for Aggression & Violence • Problem relationships with parents in elementary school -- 2 to 4 times increased risk for bullying across adolescence to age 17 • Low parental trust, low parental monitoring and high parent-youth conflict related to high risk for bullying across adolescence to age 17 • Parenting that is sensitive and respects children’s autonomy provides an ideal context for moral development, empathy and respect for others • Parenting that focuses on managing or controlling child behaviour, in the absence of an appreciation of the child’s autonomy and experience, restricts opportunities to promote moral and pro-social reasoning Source: www.cyhrnet.ca/documents/MorrettiConnectSupportingCaregiversofAggressiveandAntisocialTeens.ppt.

18. Sources http://www.haverford.edu/library/reference/mschaus/ICPR281/anderson_violence_acs.pdf

19. What to Do? • Support anti-violence education and anti-bullying along with peace efforts & personal responses • Acknowledge the male gender of violence: key • Redefine theories by including social context • Take profit/pleasure out of pain: cruelty numbs • Destroy weapons and use of force: end fighting culture and refuse it as a solution to all conflict • Admit negative role of media: inform investors • Seek partnerships & promote health through absolute insistence on all essential human rights