Violence  We can no longer assume that we live in a pristine safe corner of the world insulated from wars, conflicts, animosities and contentiousness - if we did assume that.
 One of my most vivid memories of living in Marietta in the 1950's was seeing the girls (invariably white) wearing poodle skirts puffed out with crinoline, seeing the boys with blue jeans with cuffs turned up (they were invariably Protestant), hearing a preacher uncle badgering us kids around the annual Christmas tree with harangues against Catholics, Blacks and Jews before we could open presents and somehow feeling that the threat was from without -NAACP, ACLU, the federal government and in particular, Yankees. There was somewhat of a siege mentality   but were we really that safe from within?
 As time went on I learned that I had more than one relative who was KKK, White Citizens Council or White Supremacist or such - I also learned of violent drunken fights, and massive denial and minimizing of what I would now call family violence. I had more than one relative who had witnessed lynchings. Oh to be Southern and a hypocrite - Violence amidst the magnolias.
 What to make of this drama?  Was it unique?  I doubt it. Was it socially accepted - in some circles.  Was it confusing?  You bet. Was it spiritual?  NO!  Was it right ?  Absolutely  not.  The same ministers who railed against integration now rail against gays and lesbians -all the while wrapping themselves in some bizarre interpretation of some sentence taken out of context from the Old Testament.

Is it true that good literature demands conflict ? Is it true that people only pay attention to the news if there is blood and gore? Do we have to have fist fights, wars and drubbing ? Are we doomed to some sort of instinct of aggression? Freud thought so and referred to life and death instincts.
According to the American Psychological Association if you see these signs, violence is a serious possibility:

 Loss of temper
 Frequent physical fighting
 Significant vandalism or property damage
 Increase in use of drugs or alcohol
 Increase in risk taking behavior
 Detailed plans to commit acts of violence
 Announcing threats or plans for hurting others
 Enjoying hurting animals
 Carrying a weapon
 Gang Membership
 Access to or fascination with weapons, especially guns
 Threatening others regularly
 Trouble controlling feelings like anger
 Withdrawal from friends and usual activities
 Feeling rejected and alone
 Having been the victim of bullying
 Poor school or work performance
 History of discipline problems
 Failing to acknowledge the feelings or rights of others
 Feeling constantly disrespected

What might we do to control, prevent and treat violence ~
1st:   do not assume someone else will deal with the situation - denial and minimization are powerful defense mechanisms.
2nd:  be safe - do not spend time alone with people showing warning signs.
3rd:  if possible remove the person from the situation that is triggering the violent behavior.
4th:  tell somebody.
5th:   get protection if need be.
6th: ask professional for help - do no go it alone.

 The American Psychological Association states that violence is the act of purposely hurting someone. I suppose that such can happen at home, community, school and work - then we can conceptualize family violence, community violence, school violence and workplace violence. The usual forms of such hurt are physical, sexual and/or psychological - and the worst of the three may well be psychological.
We, as human beings, have a long history of violence. Even some of our religions have been violent - witness the Crusades of the medieval times, the warlike lyrics of Onward Christian Soldiers and references to martyrs, the use of the cross at KKK rallies, and almost an expectation that to be religious would invite persecution and vilification. A dominant goal of evangelical Christians is to make the world Christian - is it surprising that the rise of the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, American Family Association and such make us all nervous ? For, my bet is, if the religious political extremists with their incessant drumbeat of antigay, antiabortion, anti sex education, antipublic school, anti gun control, anti arts rhetoric ever gained political control we would have a society very close to that seen in The Handmaid's Tale where to question was to be punished and where violence in the name of religion was lust fine.
What causes violence? Let me count the ways. Remember Cain and Abel ? Remember the Flood? Remember the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree or throwing the money changers out of the Temple? How about David and Goliath or the U.S. Civil War in which ten times more American casualties were inflicted than in Viet Nam, or World War I - The War to End All Wars - only to be upstaged by World War II when seven million Jews, twenty million Russians and millions more around the world died.
The sheer brutality of war, serial killings and mass murders seems to have escalated. Maybe the increasing presence of guns means one deranged killer can do away with many others instead of few others where there is no gun.
Factors that contribute to violent behavior include peer pressure, need for attention and respect, feelings of low self worth, early childhood abuse or neglect, witnessing violence at home, in the community or in the media and easy access to weapons.
Yale researchers years ago developed a frustration/aggression hypothesis of aggression. The notion was that the inability to attain something heightened the impulse to lash out.
Some people use violence to release feelings of anger or frustration. Others use violence as a way to control others or get something they want.
Violence is used to retaliate against those who have hurt them or someone they care about.
Violence is learned behavior and can be modeled from others.
School violence has become monotonously frequent with shootings in Mississippi, Oregon, Georgia, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Arkansas and other places. Almost all of the instances involved white male (5) attacking other whites in a middle class or upper class setting usually steeped in Christianity. They usually feel disenfranchised and or vengeful and usually report some sort of great psychic pain. These shootings are usually committed by teenagers, but among the first mass murders was the Texas Tower incident in the 60's in which a white male student killed from high atop the University of Texas Administration Building.
Family violence is another whole kettle of fish. What about corporal punishment? What about spouses cursing, shoving and even hitting each other ? What about parent bruising, twisting and breaking parts of their own children ? What about a parent's hurtful name calling words, like slut, worm, pig, good for nothing
Do we have to hurt people ? Do we have to hurt those we love ? Oh the power of having those hurts done to us when we were little - those behaviors can just tumble out so easily as we become adults. One hurt usually leads to another hurt and nothing good results. Are our children really ours to do with as we wish much as property or punching bags ? Some people who resort to suicide think so and take their children with them at the end.
On a broader level, we must reduce the violence in cartoons, movies, television, news shows, entertainment shows, our own language, in our politics, in our religion and in our homes. We need to not unduly stress ourselves economically, governmentally and in our families. To become angry is to be human - but it should not lead to violence - talk about feelings, express yourself calmly, listen, negotiate.
Can we do anything about violence? Maybe we can minister to victims of violence like the Kosovars and Russians. Maybe we can minister to victims of violence with the Salvation Army, ot the YWCA for instance. Maybe we can attempt to influence the political process away from bomb throwing aggressive rhetoric and posturing with stupid, hurtful resolutions to paying attention to quality of life, public safety, transportation, and positive growth issues.
Maybe we can write letters to the editors, write op-ed pieces. Speak out assertively but with a sense of humor when any one is gratuitously attacked.
Certainly, we can band together, hand in hand in unity to support and nurture each other, warts and all, modeling for our young people that you do not have to hurt others to get ahead, that if you mess up you can confess, apologize, make restitution, ask for forgiveness and move on - for, if given a choice between Freud's death and life instincts, I choose life.

James E. Stark, Ph.D.
Georgia Psychological Society
jestarkphd@aol.com