Environmental Causes of Violence - Research Paper Example

ENVIRONMENTAL CAUSES OF VIOLENCE Environmental Causes of Violence Vicious Muggings, assassinations and the rising number of murders in America have brought to the fore the element of violence. Initially, anti-social and violent behavior was attributed to mainly social factors such as poor education, family instability and poverty. However, the role of environmental contaminants has lately received a lot of attention and focus from researchers and experts as a significant element predisposing to anti-social and violent behavior. Therefore, the paper will analyze and evaluate environmental causes of violence. To better comprehend the subject, a brief definition of both violence and environmental contaminants will be highlighted in the text. The American psychological association defined violence as an extreme act of aggression committed by an individual to another such as rape, murder or assault.1 Furthermore, the American psychological association implied that violence is the intentional application of power or force, actual or threatened against another person, community, and group or against oneself.2 This application of violence mostly leads to physical harm, physiological harm, deprivation or mal development. On the other hand, environment is primarily defined as the circumstances and conditions which surround an individual or community. Furthermore, the Medical Dictionary went a step further and defined the term environment as the combination of cultural and social conditions that have an influence on an individual’s life.3 Violence and the different types of abuse are mostly viewed as a behavioral pattern which is intended to maintain and establish control over household members, family, individuals, groups, intimate partners or colleagues. Although most violent offenders tend to be known by their victims (i.e. estranged spouses and partners, relatives, family members, colleagues and peers), strangers may also commit various acts of violence. The occurrence of violence might be once or it may happen on a frequent basis. Over time, the single incidences of violence tend to escalate into frequent bouts of violence.4 Abuse and violence in any form negatively affects the well-being and health of individuals. The primary roots of violence can be attributed to the many environmental factors which even today continue to grow and increase in society. The Newfoundland Labrador states that violence is often a choice and is thus preventable.5 Violence Categories The WHO categorized violence into 3 main groups; self-inflicted violence, interpersonal violence and collective violence.6 Self-Directed Violence Self-directed violence is behavior that deliberately leads to injury or has a potential to result in harm to oneself. As such, it is self-directed or inflicted. Suicide is the main form of self-inflicted violence around the world. Thus, it is a vital public health concern. The WHO statistics indicate that self-inflicted harm /injuries are among the top five death causes for people in the 15-44 age groups.7 Moreover, it is a major cause of disability and ill health in the world. According to the global burden of disease, 797823 people succumbed as a result of suicide in 2011. Interpersonal Violence Interpersonal violence is the act of using force, intimidation and power to control another individual via physical, emotional or sexual threats. The cost of interpersonal violence is quite expensive. Wales and England estimate the total cost from interpersonal violence (homicide, sexual assault and injury) to be around $40.2 billion each year. Also, the United States estimates the cost of violence to reach 3.3% of its GDP. The various forms of interpersonal violence/ abuse include: bullying which is a form of violence that is either physical, verbal or both. Also, bullying can take the form of intimidation where the victim is pressured into behaving in a specific way. This form of interpersonal violence occurs in nearly all settings (home, internet, work and school). Next is relationship/dating violence this type of violence happens when one romantic partner attempts to exert control and power over the other partner via actions or words which are emotionally and physically abusive. Relationship violence includes coercion, physical violence, intimidation, threats, emotional, isolation, economic or sexual abuse. Sexual violence is another type of interpersonal violence. It is each and every type of sexual action/activity that a party does not agree to. It’s made up of inappropriate touching, rape, or sexual harassment. Lastly, youth violence is characterized by aggressive behaviours such as hitting, bullying, violence, knife fighting, robbery and homicide. Collective Violence Any type/form of aggression/violence done by a group of individuals is termed as Collective violence. For example, gang violence. Gang violence refers to the display of violence, criminal activity and aggression by a group of people or friends. It has been found out that even non violent and amiable people can develop violent characteristics when they become part of a very violent group. Group violence makes individuals not to feel responsible for any violent actions they exhibit. Therefore, when in a crowd, they behave in ways that otherwise they cannot imagine to behave while alone. Violence thus becomes a group act where no one is held responsible for the violent actions committed. Some groups use violence as a strategy to eliminate or intimidate other groups. This is common in terrorist organizations, political violence and gang warfare. Conversely, isolation also leads to violent behavior. Researchers have come up with various mechanisms and explanations to account for the fact that isolation breeds violence. Isolation leads to psychological changes which subsequently disturb the balance of neurochemicals in the brain which are critical to emotional control. The Ecological Model This framework implies that there is no single element that can illustrate why some individuals are more likely to experience violence than others. The ecological framework views violence as an outcome or result of the interaction among a lot of factors which are grouped into four broad levels-the relationship, societal, individual and the community. Personal history and biological factors influence how people tend to behave at the individual level. These factor increases the risk of becoming a perpetrator or victim of violence. Some of these factors are personality disorders, psychological disorders, being a previous victim of child mistreatment, a violent history and substance abuse. The biological environment factors include lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Personal relationships influence the likelihood of becoming a victim or perpetrator of violence. For instance, violent friends can influence an individual to become violent himself or become a victim. The community such as neighborhoods, schools and workplaces influence violent behavior. The risk factors in this level include unemployment levels, mobility, population density and presence of a local gun/drug trade. The rise/increase in murders rates in America was attributed to the proliferation of guns in the 1980 and 1990s. Currently, guns are the leading cause of injuries and death among juveniles in many regions across the United States.8 The presence of firearms increases the probability of violence occurring since they are often linked with positive outcomes and aggressive meaning. For example, a hunting rifle does not increase violent behavior in people. But the anticipated consequences and meaning of its utilization will promote violent behavior. Even pictures of a gun in an environment increase the probability of aggressive acts. Societal factors comprise of social and economic policies that lead to inequalities among people. For example, the cultural and social norms that advocate for male dominance over females. Additionally, there are cultural norms that endorse violence as a normal way of solving conflicts. These factors therefore encourage or discourage the use of violence. Environmental Contaminants Environmental contaminant is a synonym for environmental pollution. Undoubtedly, a contaminant/pollutant is any undesirable substance (chemical, biological or physical). Usually, environmental contaminants tend to refer to man-made substances which are released into the environment. It is the ability of the contaminant to spread over a wide region with adverse health effects that makes it a real problem. Chemicals released into the atmosphere end up returning back to the ground hence contaminating vegetation, water and the soil. Lead and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been identified as the main environmental contaminants which lead to an increase in delinquency or aggressive behavior. According to a leading expert/researcher on violence, exposure to lead is among the most vital cause of violence in young people.9 When lead which is released to the environment either voluntarily or involuntarily finds its way into a person’s brain, it alters the neural mechanisms which are responsible for controlling impulse. This often leads to violent and antisocial behavior. As such, governments worldwide need to put in place relevant regulations to curb/control the amount of lead in the environment. The USA environmental protection agency states that people can ingest lead via dust, deteriorating paint, drinking water, air, contaminated soil and food. Until the late 1970s, lead was being used in gasoline, water pipes and in paint.10 Hence, the sources of lead are plentiful. Today, lead is found in plenty in old window frames, in drinking water since most of the piping is from the earlier times and in vegetable gardens. Dr. Needleman first discovered the cognitive effects in people who had a prior exposure to lead in the early 1970s.11 Although the individuals did not portray any signs of lead poisoning, they showed low IQ scores. These studies and many more have led to the elimination of lead form paint, gasoline and other various products. In addition to this research, Dr. Needleman undertook a similar study and found out that even very low level of lead in the bones led to poor brain development in children. According to a 1996 study, children with high concentration of lead showed more aggression, delinquency and attention disorders levels.12 Further, other studies carried out recently have highlighted that there is a robust connection between leaded gasoline sales and the level of violence. According to Dr. Needleman, the frontal lobes of the brain are vital in controlling and determining behavior.13 As a consequence, exposure to high levels of lead leads to an increase in aggression. As a consequence, the federal government should adopt a meaningful strategy to reduce the levels of crime by eliminating lead from the environment. Prevention Measures Prevention programs reject the idea that violent behaviours are inevitable. These programs believe in the notion that aggressive behavior or acts are a choice an individual makes. As such, they can be prevented from happening or their likelihood of happening can be reduced. Prevention measures are grouped into three primary groups: primary intervention, secondary intervention and tertiary intervention. Whereas primary intervention focuses mainly on preventing the occurrence of violence, secondary intervention is an immediate response to aggressive behavior. Moreover, tertiary intervention looks at a longer period after violent acts have happened. Conclusion Environmental factors directly influence the levels of violent behavior exhibited by individuals or a community. Psychologists have always been fascinated by criminal behavior as a result of the never ending debate between nurture and nature. Is it a person’s genetic make-up that leads him to portray aggressive behavior or is it the environment that influences their outcome? This age old debate has led to various studies and research programs being undertaken to determine the relationship between violence and the environment. The studies have found out that the environment has a larger impact and influences the behavior of people. The ecological model identifies four primary levels that influence violent behavior. They are individual or level 1, relationship or level 2, community or level 3 and societal or level 4. Level 1 is made up of both the biological factors (lead and polychlorinated biphenyls) and socio cultural environmental factors (social factors, racial factors and economic factors). Level 2 on the other hand looks at close relationships. These include relationships with family, peers, romantic partners and friends. Level 3 focuses on the community. The community environment under level 3 includes schools, neighborhoods and workplaces. Consequently, the risk factors identified are residential mobility, population density, presence of drugs and high unemployment levels. Lastly, level 4 is made up of societal environmental factors which influence violent behavior. These factors mainly include policies that advance social inequality among people (health, educational, social, and economic policies). Bibliography American Psychological Association. (2014). Violence. Retrieved from http://apa.org/topics/violence/index.aspx American Psychological Association. Presidential Task Force on Violence, and the Family. Violence and the family: Report of the American Psychological Association presidential task force on violence and the family. American Psychological Association, 1996. Gerney, Arkadi, Chelsea Parsons, and Charles Posner. "America Under the Gun: A 50-State Analysis of Gun Violence and Its Link to Weak State Gun Laws." Washington: Center for American Progress (2013). Masters, Roger D., B. T. Hone, and Anil Doshi. "Environmental pollution, neurotoxicity, and criminal violence." Environmental toxicology (1998): 13-48. Medical Dictionary. Environment (2013). Retrieved from http://www.medicaldictionary.com/environment Needleman, R. The Crimes Of Lead.(2002) Retrieved from http://cen.acs.org/articles/92/i5/Crimes-Lead.html Newfoundland Labrador; violence prevention initiative. Retrieved from http://gov.nl.ca/VPI/types/ University Of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Lead In The Environment Causes Violent Crime, Reports University Of Pittsburgh Researcher." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/02/050223145108.htm (accessed December 7, 2014). World Health Organization. WHO | Definition and typology of violence.(2014) Retrieved from http://www.who.int/violenceprevention/approach/definition/en/ Read More