Psychology of Violence - Term Paper Example

?Psychology of Violence Article Summary The Aurora has one of the secure and tranquil suburban places in the of Colorado, with approximately 325,000 populations from middle class families and had displayed significantly low crime rates (Cavaliere, 2012). However, in the midnight of last July 20, 2012, terrible violence of mass murdered happened during the premiere night of the “The Dark Knight Rises,” in which it had wasted 12 innocent lives of cinemagoers and left approximately 58 cinemagoers critically wounded in hospitals as one gunman had outraged an entire theater 9 floor in the Century 16 movie house. The suspect of the cruel man-slaughtering inside the movie house was arrested at the parking lot of Century 16 where he had probably loaded his guns for another round. The gunman was identified as James Holmes, a 24 year-old white young man who was a previous student in Ph.D. at the University of Colorado and a graduate of University of California with the degree and honors in neuroscience. During the investigation, police found out that Holmes used an assault rifle, a shotgun, and a handgun during his killing spree on the night of the crime. Police investigators implicated that the suspect was working alone and had planned everything out based on his legal transactions in purchasing firearms and acquiring rounds of bullets through online. Moreover, after questioning Holmes, the suspect claimed to have a booby trap of explosives and chemicals inside his apartment in which authorities have a difficult challenge in detonating the traps. The incident that happened inside the theater 9 of Century 16 movie house in Aurora City was just one of the unexpected events that perceived many moviegoers as pleasant nights, which turned out to be horrifying, real event. Victims that have survived the tragic incident shared their individual feelings and thoughts during the night of the vicious murders made by James Holmes while the people who knew the suspect was left shocked and confused to what happened or why Holmes did the crime despite his intellectual capacity and soft-spoken personality. Nevertheless, the event that had happened in the state of Colorado was far beyond for a fantasy and imagination that turned into a reality (Frosch & Johnson, 2012). Psychological Outlook Based on the primary article (Frosch & Johnson, 2012) and other articles (Cavaliere, 2012) related to the Colorado shooting during the premiere night of “The Dark Knight Rises,” many have questioned what triggers the gunman to do man-slaughtering despite his intellectual capabilities and the credential he achieved. Accordingly, this has left a notion that violence related to media have struck again to the minds of the people, which left undesirable thoughts and actions towards the society in doing criminal acts (Anderson et al., 2003; Savage, 2004). The violence in media is considered to be one factor that had triggered the suspect, James Holmes, to act his way towards violence because he portrays himself as a villain relating to the Batman movie (Adams, 2012). In relation to this, there are a number of psychological (e.g., desensitization) and physiological theories (e.g., excitation transfer theory) that can explain the nature of the violence being depicted from media entertainment and influence the actions and the way of thinking among televiewers (Cantor, 2003). Particularly, the main perspective that can describe and explain the violence happened in Colorado is an understanding on the social cognitive theory generated by Albert Bandura. Social cognitive theory represents the idea that violent behaviors and actions depicted in a movie scene or within the social environment are learned into “cognitive scripts” and later on applied in certain situations or circumstances (Pennell & Browne, 1999). For instance, the suspect in the Colorado movie house shooting was presenting himself as Batman’s archenemy, the Joker, in which he dyed his hair red-orange and tried not to show constant emotions during his trial (Sherwell, 2012). Accordingly, the suspect imitated the role of the “Joker” as he planned his criminal scheme and acted his murderous crime. Furthermore, the man-slaughtering that created by the suspect is a result from his exposition and ideals of having a fictional character turns into a horrific reality. Hence, social cognitive theory encompasses the explanation and understanding that an individual can learn violence through media or exposure of violent behaviors from the environment through generation of violent scripts in the minds of the people (Cantor, 2003). First Film: The Psychology of Evil The Psychology of Evil was introduced by Philip Zimbardo (2008), the experimenter of the Stanford Prison experiment, in which he identified and discussed the possibility of the people in doing evil acts and wrongdoings because of the power. Particularly, Zimbardo (2008) recognizes evil as the outcome of utilizing authority that intends to provoke or generate psychological and physical harm against another person or to the society. Accordingly, Zimbardo (2008) hypothesizes that people are naturally good and in turn power or authority is the factor that created people to do profoundly immoral and malevolent behaviors towards another person. As a result, Zimbardo (2008) recognized the “Lucifer Effect” as a way of understanding how people will possibly behave to be nice or ruthless, concern or apathetic, constructive or uninterested, villain or heroes. Hence, the talk of Philip Zimbardo (2008) was generally centers on the nature of people to become good or bad that depends on the person’s situation or circumstances (Zimbardo, 2008). In relation to this, I would seem to agree with Zimbardo that people do violent reactions and behavior because of power and based on a person’s situation. Take for an example the Stanford Prison Experiment, which was shared by male college students who took up the role as prison guard or prisoners in the experiment. Consequently, the study was ceased because the situation of prison experiment was becoming a reality, in which participants with the prison guard roles were starting to become violent (i.e., verbal and physical) towards the prisoners and participants as prisoners have declined in their emotional and psychological state of mind. Accordingly,, it is evident that people who are good can turn possibly into bad because of the perceived power and authority they possess. Hence, violent behaviors are not only based from the disposition of the person, but immoral and malevolent behaviors can be rooted from the situation of the person and his/her ability to do such behaviors because of what he/she possessed. Second Film: Fighting with non-violence Scilla Elworthy (2012) discussed her ideas with regard to her and other prominent people (e.g., Mandela) experiences in battling against violence and oppressions of other people through an advocacy using nonviolence. She identified political, physical, mental or emotional violence as three ways of violence that people used to destroy or oppress their victims. In relation to this, Elworthy (2012) determined a method on how people will survive violence with nonviolence advocacy through inner power and this inner power is the controlling of one’s self-knowledge, fear, and anger. Particularly, self-knowledge refers to the capability of the person to change oneself in order to change his/her environment. This involves determining one’s weak and strong spots in order to establish oneself coherently. Secondly, an individual needs to contain one’s energy of fears in to one and calmly face these fears in order for an individual to act and think rationally. Thirdly, an individual needs to coat his/her anger in order not burst out into one’s out of control situation that hinders an individual to do the best alternative of non violence. Accordingly, people are now learning from these internal forces, controlling their fears, their angers, and explore themselves deeply towards non violent actions (Elworthy, 2012). In relation to this, I am moved with the notion of Scilla Elworthy (2012) that people uses violence in response to violent oppression because of anger and fears. The negative energy of fears and angers contributes to the idea of violent behaviors because it is in these two energies a person draw from committing such actions. Furthermore, non violence takes place because the person as the victim has a rational knowledge of doing what is humane and has the principles of not becoming a violent person. For example, advocates battled against violent leaders through nonviolence and peaceful march in order to display courage and firm identity to oneself that violence is not worthy and wrong behavior. Hence, violence can be minimized and fight off through nonviolence rather than fighting back with aggression. Violence Prevention: Relationship Erudition Theory During teen years, youths are commonly understood among researchers to have established and developed dating relationships with partners. Accordingly, there has been a wide range of empirical studies that sought to understand and generate implications with regard to the dating relationship among young couples and partner violence. Dating violence is one of the primary elements of romantic violence that existed among young couples. In relation to this, social learning theorists have implicated that dating violence is an outcome of an individual learning based on his/her social environment (Wekerle & Wolfe, 1999; Cornelius & Resseguie, 2007). Consequently, the Relationship Erudition Theory will serve as a foundation in establishing dating violence prevention program that will counteract the understanding among youths with regard to dating violence into a nurtured relationship. Hence, the Relationship Erudition Theory is a principle that understands dating knowledge based on the natural tendencies among human beings to seek care, affection, and security from their partners. Dating Violence Dating violence has increasingly become common among youth romantic relationships and in turn has a significant impact on their individual well being and health (McDonell, Ott, & Mitchell, 2010). Gover (2004) implicated that dating violence can be traced back from the childhood experience among youths which involve maltreatment and domestic violence. Dating violence involves vehement behaviors such as sexual, physical, emotional, and psychological aggression towards the victim or romantic partner (Miller et al., 2012). Hence, dating violence is defined by Sugarman and Hotaling (1989) as “the use or threat of physical force or restraint carried out with the intent of causing pain or injury to another person” (as cited in Cornelius & Resseguie, 2007, 365). Theoretical Framework: The Relationship Erudition Theory The “Relationship Erudition Theory” is an assumption that grounded from the principles of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and Bowlby’s attachment theory in understanding the role and function of a romantic relationship especially among youths. Maslow (1970) suggested that human beings have the innate goals to satisfy and sustain their needs in accordance to a hierarchical form as cited in Papalia, Olds, & Feldman, 2007). Basically, human beings have to satisfy their biological needs (e.g., food, shelter) first in order to achieve their need for safety, love and belongingness, self-esteem, and self-actualization. In relation to this, youths give more importance to achieving and satisfying their need for love and belongingness, in which they are in search for long-lasting friendships and stable romantic relationships. Moreover, at a developmental stage of youths, they have the knowledge and desire to have physical contact and sexual relationship (as cited in Papalia, Olds, & Feldman, 2007; J. Feist & G. Feist, 2009). On the other hand, Bowlby (1980) implicated that human beings, at the young age, have the cognitive representations with regard to the relationships towards their parents or caregivers (as cited in Wekerle & Wolfe, 1999). Consequently, secure attachment is significantly associated with a healthy romantic relationship while insecure attachment is associated with problematic relationships. In relation to this, youths who have insecure attachment are more likely to become anxious with themselves, and in turn, become jealous that can lead to violence or a victim of violence (as cited in Wekerle & Wolfe, 1999). Based on the theoretical perspectives by Maslow and Bowlby, human beings have the innate nature of searching for a relationship that is stable, certain and long lasting. Accordingly, the Relationship Erudition Theory is conceptualized as the understanding among individual to the nature and value of relationship in one’s life, in which a person may gain security, acceptance, care, and love. In accordance to this, the Relationship Erudition Theory suggested that people should understand one another with regard to the relationship in order to reduce any harms of violence with one another. Particularly, the term “erudition” refers to the quality of a person to vast knowledge, learning and understanding with regard to the nature and role of relationship among the lives of people. Hence, the Relationship Erudition Theory can be one of the conceptualized theories that can well establish an intervention among youths in committing dating violence towards their partners. Theoretical Implications for Prevention The Relationship Erudition Theory suggests that human beings have the innate need for a relationship that has security and love. Accordingly, the theory states that people should understand the true essence of relationship in order to have a successful and meaningful relationship with their individual partners. In relation to this, the theoretical implications for the Relationship Erudition Theory are to further create and establish coherent prevention program against dating violence in order to help couples understand their individuality and be able to construct secureness and love within their relationship. Hence, this section will discuss relationship enhancement education, self-identify program, and relationship preparedness program as an intervention based from the theory. Particularly, the relationship enhancement education is an erudition program that allows couples to gain advance and further understanding to the value and role of relationship in the human existence. This program will identify the power of relationship that will aid people to do their basic activities and also attain their goals and dreams together with their partners. Moreover, this program will also discuss the downfalls and downturns of the relationship among couples. Hence, this program will also teach young couples on how to deal with romantic issues and problems without the use of violence or force but through the use of understanding and letting go for the future ahead. Secondly, self-identity program allows young couple to identify oneself, their true nature as an individual and as a partner. This type of program will make the young couples understand oneself before understanding others, and this will create a self-direction for the individual to what he/she really wants to happen with his/her current relationship. Lastly, the relationship preparedness program is for the youth who have undergone breakup or romantic violence that will assist them in going back to the right track in finding the right partner. Hence, the relationship preparedness is a program that will allow young people to identify oneself and assess oneself for his/her willingness to be engaged in a relationship. Accordingly, the dating violence has been a widespread problem among youths’ relationships and studies have been established in order to design preventive programs. The Relationship Erudition Theory is an understanding on the innate needs of people to have secure and loving relationship. Hence, the above mentioned intervention programs will help young couples to understand the definition and role of relationships within their lives and in their future. References Adams, M. (2012, July 20). Batman movie massacre a reflection of violent video games, TSA violence against citizens and psychiatric drugging of young white men. 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Clinical Psychology Review, 19 (4), 435-456. Zimbardo, P. (speaker). (2008). Philip Zimbardo: The psychology of evil. In TED Talks. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/philip_zimbardo_on_the_psychology_of_evil.html Read More