This essay discusses peer pressure and problems of teenage violence. It will also try to define the sources of the problems and the solutions to them.
Violence. Mentioning the word conjures up images of assault, abuse, and even murder. It's the act of purposefully hurting someone. And it's a major issue facing today's young adults. In today's American society, violence is more prevalent now then ever. Annually, one in twelve highschoolers is threatened or injured with a weapon each year. Each year one person out of every forty is a victim of a violent crime. At the same time, statistics show that by the early 1990's the incidence of violence cause by young people reached unparalleled levels in American society.
Everyone wants to find an answer to a problem that is in a great need of solving. But where do we look to find the answer? What causes people to behave in a violent fashion? Maybe if we explore the reasons for behavior, and address these issues, we will win our battle with violence.
There is no single explanation for the overall rise in youth violence. Many different factors cause violent behavior. The more these factors are present in our life, the more likely people are to commit an act of violence. What causes someone to punch, kick, stab or fire a gun at someone else or even him/herself? There is never a simple answer to that question. But people often commit violence because of one or more of the following:
· Expression. Some people use violence to release feeling of anger or frustration. They think there are no answers to their problems and turn to violence to express their out of control emotions.
· Manipulation. Violence is used, as a way to control others or get something one wants.
· Retaliati...
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...ot be expected to reduce levels of community violence.
Bibliography:
Hawkins, J.D, Farrington, D.P., & Catalano, R.F. (2012). Reducing School Violence Through The Schools. In D.S. Elliott, B Hamburg, & K. R. Williams (Editors), Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective, (pp 127-155) New York, NY: Cambridge University Press
Laub, J.H., & Lauritsen, J.L. (2011). The Interdependence of School Violence with Neighborhood and Family Conditions. In D.S. Elliott, B Hamburg, & K. R. Williams (Editors), Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective, (pp 127-155) New York, NY: Cambridge University Press
Mercy, J.A., & Rosenberg, M.L. (2014). Preventing Firearm Violence In and Around Schools. In D.S. Elliott, B Hamburg, & K. R. Williams (Editors), Violence in American Schools: A New Perspective, (pp 159-187) New York, NY: Cambridge University Press
Violence has become the growing problem in the United States today. School violence is the se...
Violence in all of its manifestations is based on an exercise of power. It represents a means to gain power, to maintain power, or as a response to a threat to one's power. As long as a society maintains the legitimacy of social hierarchies, of the right of some people to have power over others, there will be violence. One can either seek to diffuse the concentration of power or to control violence. By its very character, the attempt to control violence is self-defeating. The control will itself become violent.
“The youth identified 35 causes of youth violence, but most students focused on specific subcategories within each of the four factors: individual, peer, family, and social. Although most students mentioned multiple causes, few identified causes within all four factors” (Zimmerman et al., 2004). The factors were broken down as such:
"Teen violence refers to harmful behaviors that can start early and continue into young adulthood" (Teen Violence). As generations continue to pass, the issue of teen violence remains. Why do kids act the way they do? What factors into their violent behavior? Questions like these do not have straight answers; instead, they seek out people's differing opinions. John Leo, Mike Males, Gloria Steinem, Charlie James, Chuck Shelton, Annette Fuentes, and James Garbarino share their opinions about the controversy of teen violence through newspaper and magazine articles. Each article has its own unique points, whether they are strong or weak. "Children in a Violent World" by James Garbarino offers the most convincing causal analysis and helps reveal the problem of teen violence to his readers.
Violence is defined as the intentional use of force to harm a human being. Its outcome is injury (whether physical or psychological, fatal or nonfatal). Violence among teenagers is on the rise, and has been since the early 1980's. In my opinion this is due to the increase of violence in the media, the astounding availability of firearms and the lack of proper guidance in the home. Northeastern University's College of Criminal Justice reports that from 1985 to 1993 murders committed by people over the age of 25 dropped an impressive 20%; meanwhile they increased 65% for people between the ages of 18-24 and an astounding 165% growth for teenagers 14 to 17. According to the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in 1996, 6548 young people 15-24 years old were victims of homicides. This amounts to an average of 18 youth homicides per day in the US. It also states that homicide is the second leading cause of death for persons 15-24 and is the leading cause of death for African-American and Hispanic youths in this age group. There are a few things that we as Americans can do to stunt this problem, and it starts with the home. By focusing on the home first, we as Americans can drastically reduce the amount of violent crime committed in the US.
Welsh, Wayne N. "United States." Teen Violence: A Global View. Eds. Allan M. Hoffman and Randal W. Summers. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 2001.
School violence has become an increased peril, affecting not only those involved, but the society in itself. The underlying reason for this phenomenon is that it is derived from bullying and easy access of weapons. It can even happen by the hands of a person who does not attend the school where the act takes place. Bullying has become an epidemic in America amongst school children. Though there are rules enforced about weapons at school, the weapon is usually not detected until the incident takes place. I have witnessed violence in the form of fighting while in school, however, I have never imagined that it has become so aggressive and affects children at younger ages. We must take a bold stand to stop these incidents from occurring!
Most violence comes from not knowing (ignorance) and bad environments. Children act out as a cry for help, when a child is deliberately misbehaving that is a signal that something is wrong in their environment. When
Fear of youth violence is a constant concern by millions of people all over the world. Kids seem to take up more and more space of crimes that are usually committed by adults over the age of 18. "Statistics confirm that more horrendous crimes are being committed by increasingly younger children" (Levine 27). These crimes committed by youth's are caused by many different reasons: Poverty, neighborhoods, schools, parents, and TV, are the main concerns. But what is in most people's minds is what we can do to help prevent this violence. Although there are many different methods for reducing youth violence such as administering harsher punishments and steering kids away from gang influences, the most effective is training in conflict resolution because it gives kids another alternative to fighting. There are many different reasons as to why kids administer violence. Families, neighborhoods, peer groups, television, schools, and your personal factors are the main reasons. According to Joy G. Dryfoos, "Children who demonstrate antisocial behavior come from very non-supportive families at two extremes: either the family is repressive and abusive, or it seriously neglects the child from the early years on" (71). Parental neglect is a strong predictor of violence in a child, and parental rejection is the most powerful predictor. "The closer the child's relationship with his parents, the more he is attached to and identified with them, the lower his chances of delinquency" (Hirschi 71). Neighborhoods and peer groups are also a great influence on kids and their crimes. Growing in an underclass neighborhood is closely related with the risk of delinquency. Not all poor people are criminals, but drugs, guns and poverty are identified as causes o...
There are many factors that lead people to use violence. They use violence when they are stressed, angry, feeling hatred, drink too much alcohol, use drug. Children are more likely to grow up as violent men if they are influenced by their parents, brothers, sisters and friends, all of whom use violence.
With today’s violence among teens rising, most people would like to know why? Does it have anything to do with the way we are raising our children? Some would blame the parents for their child’s aggression, or some would declare that it only has to do with the peers the child associates themselves with, and others would blame media, such as television or video games. Well, which is it? What is the main cause for teen violence today?
Violence in America’s society is definitely a major problem. This problem can be traced back as far as fetal development. It seems that in most cases of bad treatment, the families come from poverty or bad neighborhood areas. The whole main purpose of this speaker was to develop a good understanding on why most of the violent crimes occur in today’s hurting society. It is not rocket science to realize that most angry violent acts are due to a disturbed child or individual that lacked attention, love or care. Violence is not a new problem, scientists are just finding out new facts about how it starts and how it can be prevented.
Even since the shooting at Columbine High School caught the attention of America and all the world on April 20, 1999, high school shootings and other forms of violence at schools has been plaguing America during the last ten years. It is also found that most of the violence that occurs in high schools is caused by young men. Students aren’t feeling safe at school anymore and parents are enraged that students could bring the weapons to school in the first place. Many people have brought their own opinions into play about why violence in schools occurs. Such causes range from violence in the media, being treated poorly by peers and administrators in school, all the way to poor parental decisions. Although these are only a few of the possible causes for violence in schools, they are defiantly the most prevalent reasons.
Throughout human history, violence, for the most part, has been a perpetual struggle we’ve faced. It does not discriminate against location, color, or creed, and it has an impact, lasting or not, on each of us at some point during our lives. Living in a Western country, many of us have become accustomed to the idea that true violence only lives in the ravaged lands of warring countries or the dilapidated streets of rundown neighborhoods, but in truth it can be found anywhere. Community center’s, schools, churches, and even the most secluded towns all encounter violence, though sometimes behind closed doors, everyone is vulnerable to it. But what prompts it to occur exactly? Violence itself stems from the causality of several different factors,
Society has suffered from various factors that are contributors of school violence. These factors are personal, family, school, and environmental.