By Mr Daniel Hansson

Questions for Discussion1. Is violence ever justified?2. How old do you think the youngest murderer

ever was?3. Give explanations of terrorism.4. What do you think are the reasons for school

shootings?5. Will there ever be a nuclear war?6. Are humans less or more violent than we used

to be?7. Why does violence sell?8. What is a pecking order?

Definition of ViolenceViolence: An aggressive act in which the

perpetrator abuses individuals indirectly or directly

Examples of violence: Murder, bullying, war, genocide, domestic violence, suicide

Sociocultural Explanations of ViolenceCultural normsSocial learning theoryAgency theory

Cultural NormsSome cultures have norms of violence, e.g. the

culture of honor in the Southern United StatesCulture of honor: A cultural norm where people

need to maintain their reputation by not accepting improper conduct by others, such as insults. These cultures encourage retribution and toughness.

Cohen and Nisbett (1995): College students from the southern and northern part of the United States were insulted by a confederate. Students who had grown up in the southern United States were more upset (had a higher rise in cortisol levels) and were more likely to engage in aggressive and dominant behavior.

Social Learning TheoryPeople can learn antisocial behavior through

observational learning (e.g. Bandura et al., 1961)Eron (1986): Found a positive correlation

between number of hours of violence watched on television at the age of 8 and the level of aggression they demonstrated as teenagers, as well as the number of criminal acts as adults

Charlton et al. (1999): The introduction of television in St Helena in 1995 did not increase the observed aggression in primary school children.

Agency TheoryMilgram argues that people may enter an

“agentic state” where they choose not to take responsibility of their actions and become the tool of an authority. This agentic state may lead to violent behavior. This is a situational approach

Examples: Milgram (1963), My Lai massacre

EvaluationGeneralisability (e.g. Charlton, 1999)Correlation, not causation (e.g. Eron 1986)Dispositional factors of violence( e.g.

serotonin, testosterone, prefrontal lobe damage, psychopathy)

Ecological validity issue (e.g. Milgram 1963)Has been replicated, use of controls

(Milgram ,1963; Cohen & Nisbett, 1995)