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Mental disorder and violence theory
History of religious wars and conflicts
History of religious conflict
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The Source and Cause of Violent Tendencies in Humans Philosophers since the beginning of time have debated over the source and cause of violent tendencies in humans that in turn produce global conflicts, to solve the age old question, man or beast? Global conflict can with out a doubt be completely accredited to the human race, but what are the particular reasons for humans to cause such conflicts? There are many topics that have been argued by philosophers and historians over the connection between the reasons the human race and global conflict. One such topic is the gender based theories and sexual differences of men and women. Others believe that religion, with particular emphasis on monotheistic beliefs, is the major basis of conflict among the human race up to this day. Another important fact to take into consideration when attempting to understand why there is global conflict in the human race; is the significance of individual cultures amongst opposing or simply separated tribes, groups, states, and nations. Lastly, one must consider the physical evidence, for example, figuring out what can be learned about previous prehistoric societies from anthropology and paleontology. The basis of the debate is the nature of mankind; is it in our nature to be like wild animals with a lust to kill with the only difference between us and animals being intelligence, or is it that mankind over the time of existence have developed such things as material goods, religious belief systems, and all different ways of life that are responsible for violence and conflict throughout the history of the world. There is no clear cut answer to why mankind acts in such a way, but one can develop a very strong argument or theory which includes and relat... ... middle of paper ... ... however, the core debate will still remain; is it the general nature of human beings to be just like wild animals only smarter with a lust for blood or is it the developments and evolution of the human race over time that is responsible for the creation of global conflict. The debate may never actually be settled any time soon, however to understand the argument one must consider and understand the position of each group and how they relate to one another, religion to sexuality, and nationalism to cultural differences, all of which affect human behavior. The human race is very complicated and understanding why men and women act the way they do involves all of these aspects, but do not necessarily provide a solution, instead they allow people to take a position and support those ideals and possibly help to prove that theory solving the age old question, man or beast?
In Holland, male members of a certain family were found to be prone to violent outbursts; one male, criticized by his employer, attempted to run him over with a car - another raped his sister and was sent to a mental hospital - a third coerced his sister into undressing by threatening her with a knife. Such men display retarded motor development, difficulties in task planning, and awkward sexual behavior. (1). Recently, researchers claimed to have found the basis of such aggressive behavior to genetic sources - specifically, a deficiency in the MAOA gene of these males (2).
Conflict has forever been in human history and will undoubtedly stay in human history. Conflict has evolved during the period of 1700’s to the 1900’s and was used to settle disagreements and ultimately advanced war as a whole.
Aggression is defined as any behavior intended to harm another person who is motivated to avoid the harm according to Baumeister & Bushman (2014). A study was conducted in 1967 by Leonard Berkowitz and Anthony LePage, to determine whether the presence of weapons would elicit aggressive behavior from an individual (Baumeister & Bushman, 2014). They hypothesized that participants were likely to associate weapons, particularly firearms, to aggression and violence, which would cause observing a weapon to elicit an aggressive response. The experiment determined that the presence of weapon can elicit an aggressive response from people ready to act aggressively. In the study, participants were shocked up to seven times then given the opportunity to
Popular Culture and Violent Behavior Introduction In 1871 E.B. Taylor defined culture as 'that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and many other capabilities and habits acquired by... [members] of society. '[1] Taylor was talking about 'high' culture, an aristocratic view of the past-times such as ballet, theatre and art. Popular culture, on the other hand, is a form of 'low' culture and is based primarily on marketing, mass production and revenue.
“history is written by the victors”(Winston Churchill). Conflict has been deeply engrained into the history of mankind. For thousands of years all across the globe the prevalent aspect in which mass conflict has surrounded was that of differing religious practices. With all that is good that comes from religion, much evil is directly following. This conflict over religious views has caused hundreds of years of war in some parts of the world as well as problems that can range from day to day in your home. In the book Lame Deer, Seeker of visions religion can be seen at the base of all the struggle between the Native American people and the European Colonist that moved in to take over their land. Religion has been used for centuries to explain the surrounding world, but it only seems to pertain to the people practicing these beliefs. People through history have used their religions to justify their own personal desires even if they were not always the ideas of the religious institution.
...n Humanity Glover gives a slightly frightening depiction of the 20th century. Yes, the 20th Century was undoubtedly an extremely bloody one, but there are some professionals such as psychologist Steven Pinker, a Harvard professor, who argue quite the opposite from Glover. Pinker, in his The Better Angles of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined, says that the 20th century was actually the least bloody in history because human nature has changed significantly. He poses numbers that aim to prove the fact that tribal warfare was nine times deadlier than genocide and war in the 20th century. Despite these counter arguments, however, Jonathan Glover gives an extraordinary analysis of humanity, morality and ethics in the 20th century which can give humans a solution as to how we should all go about preventing genocide and other war crimes in the future of our species.
Since the beginning of social psychology, psychologist has been trying to analyze how people’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior are impacted by aggression. When an aggressive person gets frustrated or upset, social psychologist tracks down what exactly drives them to commit crimes, atrocities, or even abuse. According to Kassin, Fein, and Markus, aggression is “behavior intended to harm another individual” (2016). Individuals who attain this trait don’t always have to physically abuse someone, aggressive attacks could be verbal, emotional, or mental as well. Although many might argue that people who are viewed as aggressive tend to harm another person because that is their only cure, however, there are alternative motives that drive aggression,
Throughout our world’s history there have been instances of where violence was used as a common interaction. Hunter-gathers are a prime example (Grant). We perceive hunter-gathers to be friendly non-violent people who pick berries, hang by fires, and have no concept of jealousy or property (Grant). The side that we do not know is a very gruesome one that shows the true colors of the pre-historic hunter-gatherer. It is a lifestyle of bloodshed and violence as a way of showing power and territorial dominance (Grant). For example, hunter-gatherers showed their evil nature in an incidence where two fishermen accidentally drifted into an island of Sentilese people and were killed instantly as an attempt to show territorial dominance (Grant). There has also been evidence that states great thinkers believed humans are evil (Grant). Sigmund Freud, born in 1856, was a Czech neurologist who proclaimed in 1930, that man is one of the worst types of animal (Grant). He wrote in his book Civilizations and its Discontents, “ Men are ...
The world has a problem with violence. It is not a new problem, and it not one that is likely to disappear soon. It is estimated that around 1.6 million people die of violence each year. Half of these deaths are attributed to suicide, while the other half are attributed to homicide, war and other conflicts combined. Historically, violence was seen as a social ill. Before the 1970’s, when genetic research began to take hold, most researchers believed that violence was caused by a number of social aspects. Even with our increased knowledge, there are still groups that view violence as a social ill. This is evident in the fact that there are groups like MAVAV, Mothers against Video Game Addiction and Violence, and Parents against Violence. These groups aim to reduce the amount of violence shown in video games and other media, in a hope that it will reduce the rate of violence. Technological advances have allowed researchers to delve into the causes behind violent acts and tendencies. Although genetics does not fully predict who will have violent urges, it does play a large role in the predisposition towards violent tendencies. Some of these causes are linked to hormones, like the amount of adolescent testosterone. Others are linked to brain activity, mainly in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex. There is even some evidence that the MAOA enzyme can play a role in violent expression. Of course, not all causes are genetically based. Although genetics can help determine who will have a predisposition towards violence, there are other factors at play. The peer group that one associates with, the environment that they are raised in, and the home life that they experience all play a role in determining if the vi...
...Of course anything can be talked through and peacefully worked out, but will it? Unless serious changes take place (politically, environmentally, etc.), the conflicts will continue to grow.
In cities, suburban areas and even small towns, people are fearful and concerned that violence has permeated the fabric of their communities and degraded the quality of their lives (Albert J. Reiss). There is aggression everyday and it can be seen in all different forms. Where ever you go there will be some type of aggression. While doing research, I learned new things about psychological aggression and affects aggression has on people.
Thoughout history acts of violence have been committed against humanity, based on evidence read in this course, the most targetted has been women and even more women of African descent. An act of violence, it’s consider both, to prevent someone other than one self from meeting the basic needs and spectrums represented as a form of crime, in which the actions victimizes somebody; physically, emotinally and mentally. The rise of violence intensified when colonizers conquered a New World, the lack of acceptance of different people, allowed White supremacy mentality to become a tool of subordination that worked in cycles and affected, first indiginous people and then African slaves.
If you recall my main point in “The Clash of Civilizations?”, I argued that the conflicts of the future will dominantly be due to cultural differences (Huntington, 1993). However, Said argues that instead of cultural differences, conflicts will stem from the ignorance that different cultures have when it comes to the other (Said, 2001). I defend my argument by pointing out that although Said believes the conflicts will stem from ignorance, the conflicts are still between civilizations. For Said’s argument to make sense, he has to admit that there are and always will be differences between these cultures that are of a sufficient scale, in order for one side to be ignorant about the beliefs and values of the other. The result of either civilization not understanding or accepting the practices of the other side’s culture is their eventual conflict (Huntington, 1993). Therefore, the basis of Said’s point supports my hypothesis that future conflicts will firstly, be between civilizations, and secondly, be due to their differences in culture.
The Genetics of Violence Introduction We, in the 1990’s, are slowly and inevitably being faced with the sociological and biological implications of impending genetic power. This power is analytical, in such cases as the Human Genome Project, which will hopefully succeed in mapping out the genetic code for the entire human genetic composition. Moreover, this power is preventative and participatory in that it can be, and is being, used to control the behavior of humans and other animals. This new power, in the eyes of many, is as risky and potentially hazardous as atomic energy: it must be treated carefully, used under close supervision, performed under professional consent and observation, otherwise, people will begin to see this new genetic power as a dangerous drawback, rather than an advancement of human culture. One of the most highly contested and objectionable topics of genetic power is the analysis of crime, violence, and impulsivity.
Pressure and tribalism are the cause of violence but they are intertwined. Tribalism creates differences between nations then pressure ignites and magnifies those differences creating conflict. Therefore, pressure helps create each nation’s narratives. As nations evolve so does their narrative. But something that will not change is that these narratives will never disappear because tribalism is intrinsic. The question now is since violence’s origins have been identified how does humanity create violence’s endpoint.