School Violence - Case Study Example

School Violence A Major Problem Of The Society 03.15 The purpose of the research is to find out the psychological and the social factors that lead children to commit violent acts in school. There are different types of violence in schools, however, I have focused only on shootings in school as it results in loss of lives and severe injuries to people. As the focus of my research is mostly on the psychological aspects behind the violence in schools, I have utilized the books that have covered the psychological aspects of the violence in schools. Also, I have used the government reports for the statistics reports related to violence in the schools. Introduction In today’s modern world, the competition in all the areas of life has become strong and demands a lot of physical, mental and emotional strength for survival. People who are born in the family with good financial condition and healthy social position enjoy the added advantage in the race of life. However, people who do not get that added advantage feel left out and suffer from frustration, anger and depression. The major way in which they express their anger and try to attract the attention of people is through violent acts. Unfortunately, even young people studying in school and aged 18 and below have started using violence as a means to express their frustration, anger and hopelessness regarding life situations (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). However, the question is, is it really the social disadvantages that lead a youth to commit murders in school or is ‘social disadvantage’ just a façade used by students with violent mental tendencies to justify their violent acts? My research is an attempt to find an answer to the question of what really makes a student to take such an extreme step of killing his fellow students, teachers and other staff members of the school. According to a report presented by Infoplease (2006) called ‘A Time Line of Recent Worldwide School Shootings’, between January 1, 1996 to December 1, 2006, more than 20 mass shootings have occurred in six different countries and most of them, have occurred in the US (Kyle & Thompson, 2008, P.98). This means that on an average, 2 mass killings occur every year. This shows that violence in school has not remained limited to the act of bullying or fighting but has also become life threatening. Hence, if the violence in school is to be stopped, it is extremely important to reach the roots of the violence. My research is an attempt to find the root cause of the violence in schools. Definition and Statistics Mass school shooting is an extreme act of violence which occurs in schools or places adjacent to schools in which a person who perpetrates the killing goes on a killing spree without any particular target in mind (Kyle & Thompson, 2008, P.98). This act, as it is not carried out with a specific target in mind, has a potential of killing and injuring numerous people present in the school. The statistics of the number of students carrying weapons to schools and the number of times the actual act of violence was carried out show a grim picture of the reality. The following are the statistics: 1. According to a Gun-Free Schools Act Report, 2002, 57% of high school students , 33% of junior/middle school students and 10% of elementary school students suffered from expulsion for bringing firearms to school ( “School Violence”, 2006) 2. According to a survey by Metropolitan Life, in the year 1994 one out of 9 teachers suffered from violence in school. In the year 1999, the victimization increased and one out of 6 teachers reported to be the victim of violence in schools (“School Violence”, 2006). This shows that the incidents of violence in schools are increasing. 3. Study conducted by Grunbaum J.A. et al (2003) revealed that 17.1% students studying in high school had carried weapons to the school during the thirty days preceding the study (“School Violence”, 2006). The above statistics give information only of those incidents where the weapons were carried to the schools by students. However, the study of the statistics of the actual acts of violence in schools, the number of people who were killed and the states in which it was carried out, shows that the extraordinary act of violence of school shooting is not limited to one or two states but has become a nationwide phenomenon (Kyle & Thompson, 2008, P.101). The study of mass shootings in schools throughout United States during August 1992 through November 8, 2006 revealed that 54 people (including students and staff members) lost their lives and 127 (including students and staff members) were injured in the shootings (Kyle & Thompson, 2008, P.101). It is also important to note that while from the year 1992-1994 only one mass school shooting incident occurred per year, the number of incidents every year doubled from the year 1995 (Kyle & Thompson, 2008, P.101). This shows an increase in the number of school shootings. However, the question is what makes a youth studying in school to feel like causing severe harm to his fellow students and staff of the school? Profile of young people who engage in violence in school The violent behavior displayed by young people engaged in school shootings or severe form of violence in schools, is not an isolated phenomenon. According to Doll(1996) and Kazdin(1997), the aggressive and antisocial behavior in youths has its roots in the psychological, emotional and social maladjustments they experience in their growing years (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.4). Studies have found that violence in schools is related to position of the youth in the social structure and hence, involves school, community and family conditions (Benbenishty & Astor, 2005, P.125). Youths who suffer from behavior patterns associated with conduct disorder display tendencies like absenteeism, challenge in traditional classroom environment, lack of good academic performance, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and dropping out of school (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.4). However, what is really important to note is that the behavior pattern associated with the conduct disorder has its roots in the social and family environment that the youth grows up in (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.6). According to Patterson and Yoerger (2002), if a child is brought up in the family suffering from dysfunctional behavior pattern, then he develops aggressive and antisocial tendency by interacting with the members of the family on the daily basis (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.6). It has been found that no single factor is responsible for the development of the antisocial and aggressive tendencies in the youth who commit violence in schools (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.14). It can be said that young people who commit violent acts come from a family of lower socio economic status (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.14). Due to the lack of resources, their emotional, mental and physical needs are not met and hence, they suffer from social maladjustment (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.14). In short, it can be said that these are the young people with ‘considerable needs’, attention and emotional security (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.14). However, at the same time, different theories have tried to explain different reasons behind the development of aggressive and antisocial behavior in youth which leads to violence in schools. The following table can help in understanding some of the characteristics and developmental pattern of the youth engaged in violent acts in schools. Table 1 “Implications for practice: Toward an understanding of Youth engaging in Antisocial and Aggressive Behaviors” (Jimerson, Morrison, Pletcher & Furlong, 2006, p.15). 1. Youth engaged in antisocial and aggressive behavior come from different backgrounds. They do not have a single profile. 2. They face numerous challenges at home, in school and in their neighborhood due to the lack of resources to fulfill their needs. 3. They display antisocial and aggressive behavior early in their childhood and if their emotional problems (which are the root cause of the violent behavior) are not intervened at right time, then their behavior become more aggressive. 4. The pattern of antisocial and aggressive behavior is so diverse that no single theory has been able to explain it. 5. The behavior pattern of the youth engaged in antisocial and aggressive behavior can be influenced by school policies, practices and relationships. 6. School being among the safest places for youth, it can play an important role in addressing and fulfilling the emotional, cognitive, social, academic and mental needs of the youth. The characteristics given in the table above reveal that the emotional maladjustment in the childhood is one of the major reasons for a child to grow the antisocial and aggressive behavior pattern in his youth. However, one cannot ignore the role of the social and environmental factors that can make cause a youth to adopt aggressive behavior pattern. According to Arcus (2002), the use of violent methods like corporal punishment to imbibe discipline and social manners in children create “an environment in which violence is accepted as a norm (Midlarsky & Klain, 2005, p. 52). It was found that the states where the schools practice spanking and beating the children as a mode of punishment, experience more school violence than other states (Midlarsky & Klain, 2005, p. 52). This shows that children imitate the violent tendencies of the adults and through the environment (Midlarsky & Klain, 2005, p. 52). Also bullying in school, insults at the hands of peers, exposure to the media violence and availability of weapons results in youth committing violence in schools. However, what is important is to know if there are some specific predictors of school violence that can help schools in avoid the occurrence of violence in schools. Researches have found that the specific behavior patterns of youth can help people to know beforehand if a particular youth has a potential to cause violence in school. Predictors of violence in school. According to a report by US Secret Service “Preventing School Shootings”, the previous understanding that the school shooting is a random phenomenon which is caused by youth who loses control over himself, is wrong (p.11). The report says that the children who conduct shooting in the school premises plan their shootings well in advance (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). This fact gives a reason to believe that school shooting can be prevented if people related to the youth who are planning the shootings can catch the warning signals and become alert of their intentions (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). The following are the predictors of the severe violence and shootings in school. 1. Youths who engage in shooting or other forms of severe violence express their anger and frustration by talking about their problems or complaining about the bullying or punishment methods they are suffering at school to their friends (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). Hence, most of the times, the motive behind the school shootings is revenge (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.12). The report by Secret Service found that in most cases, the attacks were conceptualized and planned 2 weeks in advance (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). 2. According to the research by Secret Service, young people involved in shooting never keep the plan to themselves (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). They tell at least one person about it and discuss the details of the plan before actually carrying out the plan (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). In more than three fourths of the shooting incidents that took place, the youth who attacked the school had discussed his plans of shooting with at least one person (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.12). In one case, the youth who attacked the school had discussed all the details of his plan including the date on which he intended to carry out shooting, with 24 students (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). This makes it a responsibility of a person who knows about the plan to disclose it to others and prevent the shooting. Moreover, young person who has a genuine potential of causing violence not only threatens others verbally, but also displays violent behavior in school and at home (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.12). In this scenario, it becomes a responsibility of the adults to gauge the implication of the threats in behavior and take steps in preventing the violence (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.12). 3. The execution of the shooting is not possible without the access to the weapons. Young people involved in school shooting are found to be obtaining their weapons from wither home or their relative’s home (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.11). It becomes a responsibility of the adults in the family to make the weapons inaccessible to children in the family. 4. In number of cases of school shooting, young people who were engaged in shooting were victim of bullying and severe harassment at the hands of their schoolmates (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.14). The bullying that they were suffering was longstanding and severe enough to make them feel emotionally insecure and hopeless and hence, made them to take drastic steps to end the harassment (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.14). The attackers revealed that they were tormented by the severity and the frequency of the bullying with no hope of rescue from it (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.14). Victimization made them feel miserable. Bullying has been one of the most heinous acts of violence that the victims have to go through. Bullying in schools of America has been a major problem and it has led some students to entertain suicidal and revengeful thoughts in their mind (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.14). 5. It was found that many a times, the young people who engage in violence in schools, display problematic behavior in school and at home (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). They try to express their problems through their behavior (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). It was found that more than three-fourth of the young people who engaged in school shootings displayed suicidal tendencies and depression (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). One student who killed two people in school had expressed the hopeless situation he was going through in the poems that he wrote in the English class (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). He had also mentioned homicide and suicide as the possible solutions for the torment that he was going through (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). However, the school staff ignored these signs saying that it was a family responsibility and not theirs (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.15). If the staff had taken care and given proper attention to this behavior pattern, the death of two people who were killed could have been avoided. The predictors given above show that the young people who commit violence always display some sign of agitation and depression in their behavior. The attacks are not impulsive but have a motive behind them (“Preventing School Shootings”, p.12). Most of the times, the motive is revenge and endless torment at the hands of bullies. It becomes a responsibility of the adults in the school and the family to take care of their children and give attention to the non-verbal signs in their behavior. The school shootings and violence can be prevented only when children are given proper attention and their emotional needs are fulfilled by parents and the staff at school. CONCLUSION The literature review of the profile of young people who conduct shootings at school and the reasons behind the shootings reveal one important thing and that is, the lack of communication. Bullying at school is one of the major problems of the society. Most of the times, the victims are innocent children who fear more attacks from bullies if they are reported to the staff or parents. The victims go on suffering the mental torture silently and dread every day of the school. Olweus (1993) has reveled the one factor which is found common in all the incidents of school shooting is that the young people who were engaged in shooting were the victims of severe form of bullying (Midlarsky & Klain, 2005, p. 52). It becomes a responsibility of the school and the parents to take immediate steps towards putting an end to bullying at schools. Also, constantly encouraging children to express their emotions and providing them comfortable environment at home for open and uninhibited discussion can lead children to develop healthy emotional state. It makes child develop faith in his parents and hence, the feeling of hopelessness is prevented. Hence, violence in schools can be stopped by listening to children’s concerns and by providing emotional and psychological support to them at homes and at schools. References Benbenishty, R. & Astor, R.A. (2005). School Violence in Context: Culture, Neighborhood, Family, School, and Gender. Oxford: Oxford U P, Inc. Jimerson, S. Morrison, G., Pletcher, S. & Furlong, M. (2006). Youth Engaged in Antisocial and Aggressive Behavior : Who Are They? In S. Jimerson, S. & M. Furlong (Eds.). The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety: From Research to Practice. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Kyle, K. & Thompson, S. (2008) The Roles of Morality Development and Power in Mass School Shootings. In T.W. Miller (Ed.) School Violence and Primary Prevention. New York: Springer. Midlarsky, E. & Klain, H. (2005). A History Of Violence In F.Denmark, H.Krauss, R.Wesner, E. Midlarsky & U.Gielen (Eds.) Violence In Schools: Cross-national and Cross-cultural perspectives. New York: Springer. “Preventing School Shootings” (2002). National Institute of Justice Journal, 248, 10-15. Retrieved from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/jr000248c.pdf “School Violence” (2006). Retrieved from http://www.nccev.org/violence/school.html Read More