Evaluate Sociocultural explanationsof the Origins of Violence

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?

Definition of ViolenceViolence: An aggressive act in which the

perpetrator abuses individuals indirectly or directly

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

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 (1996): male participants 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 and testosterone 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

(Stanford Prison Experiment (Zimbardo))Examples: Milgram (1963), My Lai massacre

More factors…Deindividuation theory : the psychologial

state of deindividuation is aroused when individuals join crowds or large groups

Study: Zimbardo 1969 on p. 292

Evaluation of the sociocultural factors?

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

testosterone, prefrontal lobe damage, psychopathy, Cohen and Nisbett (1996))

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

(Milgram ,1963; Cohen & Nisbett, 1996)

Before: general approachnow: origins of a specific type of violence

Bullying

BullyingOlweus (1993) argues that the roots of bullying

are a combination of parental influence, aspects of a child’s home environment, and problem with anger management.

Too little love and too much freedom – worst combination – can contribute to the development of an aggressive personality.

Studies by Eron (1987) found that parents of bullies often are authoritarian (imprinted in their social schemas)

Genetic factors (found in a Swedish and British twin study by Eley et al. 1999) but more in girls than boys

Malnutrition can also play a role (Lieu and Raine 2004)