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A Current Assessment of Anger, Violence and Terrorism 10 Things Kids Can Do to Stop Violence (See bottom of this article)
On the night of July 4, 1976 I was in New York viewing an armada of highly decorated ships commemorating the 200th year of the birth of freedom in America. It was for me a time of quiet reflection pondering the price and responsibilities of freedom. I was impressed that Americans are cemented together not as much by traditional ties as they are by the American Dream itself. What Jefferson termed "The Holy Cause of Freedom" included not only individual freedoms but religious and economic freedoms - Dreams that drive Americans. I wondered, would the future be a time, at last, when humanity could realize the potential of peace? Could the future transcend the hostility and pathology of the human condition? Was the humanist belief that human nature is neither good nor bad finally on the evolutionary road of proof? Theoreticians and Society Shapers have long attempted to construct society by a system of rewards and punishments only to discover that human contrariness thwarts man's best attempts at civility. "What road are we on," I asked? By the 1980's, collapsing institutions spoke loudly of a paradigm shift from a centralized to a decentralized society. New literature began to emerge on human transformation. Not only was technology moving to the forefront, but the diverseness of numerous cultures began to affect both beliefs and behavior. The concept blossomed that man himself is embedded in nature and must somehow find his identity from those roots; he was, it was predicted, destined to become autonomous in a decentralized society. In the 1980's, Marilyn Ferguson recognized these shifts in society and wrote the book "The Aquarian Conspiracy." She begins by stating that "A leaderless but powerful network is cooking to bring about radical changes in the US ... broader than reform, deeper than revolution, this benign conspiracy for a new human agenda has triggered the most rapid cultural realignment in history." The Aquarian Conspiracy, Pg. 23. She takes the name "Aquarian" from the popular culture of astrology which believes "that after a dark, violent age, the Piscine, we are entering a millennium of love and light." Pg. 19. The Truth About "Aquarius"During this period of my journey in life, I was practicing in a medical office as a Marriage and Family Therapist. In the several years which followed, I practiced individual and group therapy with youth who were legally detained as delinquents. I witnessed day by day the decay of social institutions and the deterioration of the family. I viewed first hand the behavioral results in children from declining institutions and abusive parents. In short, I was involved in fascinating research. The literature said I was living in an age of "love" but I believed that anger and violence were on the rise no matter what the social scientists taught.
Anger Has Been on the Rise for 20 years and we are now Victims Anger in this article is defined as criminal homicide, robbery, aggravated assault and forcible rape. The statistics which will be presented were compiled by law enforcement agencies and self reports of youth who have committed violent acts. These statistics are contained in the Youth Violence Report of the Surgeon General. The Violence Epidemic The Surgeon General provides the following information: "Arrest Rates . . . provide strong evidence of both a violence epidemic between 1983 and 1993" Youth Violence - The Surgeon General "Moreover . . . the volume of violent behavior, which is based on self reports - does not show a decline after 1993 . . . violence remained high and essentially level from 1993 - 1998 . . . if anything, it appears to have increased in recent years" Youth Violence - The Surgeon General In 1999 the rates for homicide, robbery, and rape were below the 1983 rates but arrests for aggravated assault were 70% higher than 1983. The reason for the decline in several categories was because of police crackdown on gun carrying, illegal gun purchases and longer prison terms for violent crimes with a gun. The economy was strong but another phenomena arrived to replace homicide, robbery, and rape - school violence and terrorism. What we were witnessing was not a decrease in anger and violence, but a sophisticated deepening of anger turned pathologically violent. The Arrival of School Violence and TerrorismWhile the rates of homicide, robbery and rape dropped in the general population of youth, (1983 - 1993) a new phenomena was ripening to replace them -School Violence and Terrorism. Here is a list:
Setting the Record Straight on School Violence and TerrorismAnger can spiral down to violence and violence to terrorism, both pathological manifestations of anger. Unfortunately, there is no magic wand or easy solutions to excessive anger. Terrorism leaves a feeling of helplessness because it is a random act and quite often unpredictable as to event or location. To counter these trends, schools have enacted anti bully laws and zero tolerance policies. Some schools have also installed surveillance systems. Pike High School in Indianapolis, Indiana has invested ½ million dollars and installed 109 cameras. "There is growing evidence, however, which shows that punishing children for any offense, no matter how small, does not curb school violence." CourrierPress.com May 24, 2001 The truth is very simple, society has not become a better place to resolve anger. The decline of institutions, the changing family and the creation of child care centers as primary care givers for young children have all led to the increase of anger. A recent release from the government shows that the longer a child spends in child care he/she becomes proportionally dysfunctional and angry. Having stated all this, lets be fair to our schools. The crime index for society is astronomically higher than schools. In 1999 California there were 1,261,164 crimes. The rate per 100,000 was 3,805.0. In Florida there were 937,718 crimes with the rate being 6,205.5 per 100,000 population. Here is good newsOn school campuses there were only 95 incidents of serious violence per 100,000 students. This means that a child who spends 13 years in a public school has 1 chance in 107,000 of violent death. The concern is that anger has deepened and turned to pathological violence and terrorism in the last several years which is often unpredictable just as terrorist acts are. Terrorism is deeply disturbing"Studies now debunk the belief that all violent offenders can be identified in early childhood." D'Unger et. Al. 1998; Nagin & Tremblay 1999 Terrorism in our schools is not significantly different than terrorism on an international level, it is anger turned pathological. Research shows that the interplay of social and biological factors put children at risk who eventually can become violent and antisocial. Repeated exposure to violent adults is not simply psychological but physiological. Violent adults cause aggressive stressors that create changes in gonadal hormones, cortical and a variety of neurotransmitters affecting brain development, brain function, and behavior. Upbringing in a violent and abusive household is a far better predictor of later violence than abuse or brain damage or psychotic thinking alone. Terrorists are often raised in societies of violence. A bit of reflection on the above observations will help to explain why certain contemporary societies produce a cult of terrorists whose belief system reinforces terror and destruction as a way of life. It should help answer the questions we may have entertained concerning September 11. Troubled KidsStatistics show that by the early 1990's the incidence of violence caused by young people reached unparalleled levels in American society - so much for "Aquarius." Violence and Terrorism lead to a loss of FreedomTo counter violence and terrorism, families must refuse to foster an emotional or physical environment of violence but instead must seek to teach by example the law of boundaries, mutuality, respect, negotiation and trust. My next article will explore the biological basis of anger and how to recognize the Warning Signs of Violence and what you can do to help children who demonstrate signs of violence. The following reproducible fact sheet is provided by the Connecticut Clearinghouse, a program of Wheeler Clinic, Inc. 10 Things Kids Can Do to Stop ViolenceBack to Archive |