C149 Lecture Notes PDF: Violence, Terrorism & Civilizing Processes

Here is the text from the images converted into a structured markdown format: ### Public Health Approach to Violence * 2016 - 45,000 suicides * People under 45, have suicide as leading death cause * Over 13 women experience non-fatal violence * Discusses different forms of violence 1. Com...

Here is the text from the images converted into a structured markdown format: ### Public Health Approach to Violence * 2016 - 45,000 suicides * People under 45, have suicide as leading death cause * Over 13 women experience non-fatal violence * Discusses different forms of violence 1. Community violence: Usually happens outside of homes \& involves strangers (fights, assaults, shootings) 2. Intimate partner violence: comes from a current/former partner or spouse 3. Sexual violence: any form of violence that involves sexual activity without consent 4. Self-directed violence: involves suicide attempts \& completed ones * Gender, race, and age create vulnerabilities * When it comes to gender men are more likely to be the perpetrator whereas women are the victims * Men complete more suicides \& women attempt more * Homicide is the leading cause of death in black men/women * Certain communities are facing systemic inequalities * Violence has its roots in early childhood **Diagram** * Individual level: mental health, substance abuse * Relationship level: Childhood maltreatment * Community level: concentrated poverty, levels of incarceration * Societal factors: systemic racism, sexism **Preventing Violence Solutions** * Public 1. Behavioral interventions 2. Early Prevention 3. Good Behavior Game: rewarding positive behaviors, collaborating with classmates 4. Targeted interventions: tailoring the approach to the individual (multi systemic therapy) 5. Structural intervention: making policies \& Cure of violence model (using people that have committed crimes to discourage others) * Article recognizes trauma experienced by survivors * Health care providers can screen victims for sexual assault * Suicide initiative focuses on suicide prevention in health care fields * Goal is to make amends in community level * Restorative Justice is about repairing the harm that's been done & holding offenders accountable ↳ its about finding the offender accountable \& empowering the victim (Creating a space for dialogue) * Violence depends on cultures as what works in one place might not work for another * Violence is a societal problem meaning everyone can make a difference ### Staircase to Terrorism * This is about the underlying psychological process - the how \& why * According to author the stair case begins with perceptions of unfairness ↳ feeling cheated or deprived compared to others → breaks it down into 2 forms of deprivation 1) egoistical - feeling deprived as an individual (ex: boss doesn't appreciate you) 2) fraternal - feeling deprived in a group (ex: marginalized community/collective injustice) * Next step is Solutions * 2 key factors that determine whether a person stays on staircase or maves up 1. perceived mobility - Opportunities for advancement in society 2. procedural justice - how fair decision-making process is (about feeling respected \& faith in system) #### Contextualized Democracy * Ensuring that democratic policies are fair for all individuals from different cultures * Scape goat in Terrorism is the west is a way to shift blame * 3rd Floor is where people encounter Terrorist organizations they us v them thinking comes into play * To get people to jon terrorist communities cam happen through family members or persuasion through extremist thoughts * Prevention is crucial from preventing terrorism * Author emphasizes addressing root problems like paerty * Also mentions creating fair justice system #### Takeaway: Terrorism is complex & must be prevented by fostering equality ### Civilizing Processes Civilizing Process: suggests that as authority grows \& people are forced to live together, the way people control their emotions \& instincts changes **Key Takeaways:** 1. Control of violence is essential to civilizing process by external forces such as the state \& internal forces such as self-restraint 2. The taming of warriors is a key component of state formation processes where central rulers gradually gain dominance \& pacify their lanes 3. The theory emphasizes a social constraint towards self-constraint where changes in society lead to changes in peoples emotional \&. Societal habits 4. Elias found that changes in standards of behavior are not simply due to material resources or hygiene but rather competitive social display in the context of growing state pover 5. The civilizing process involves changes in the emotional habits of people. Over time people come to experience Shame towards actions that were once considered normal, such as cruelty \& violence 6. The internal pacification of a state is a precondition for its capacity to wage effective warfare against rivals 7. The "Civilized" ways of life are not only the product of a slow, long-termed process, but are also very fragile \& can crack under pressure 8. Despite periodic upsurges, the long-term trend of violence in Western Societies is dannward 9. Civilizing process doesn't imply a linear \& inevitable decline of violence ### Risk Factors for Youth Violence * focuses on youth from 15-24 because its when violent behavior peaks * Social isolation is big factor in mass shootings * Risk Factors are divided into 2 parts being personal \& environmental 1. Personal * report mentions gender as an important factor (males are more violent) * societal expectations around males play a role (surpress their emotions) * early intervention like anger management classes can make a huge difference * narcissism, sadism, psychopathy, often involve a distorted version of self 2. Environment * easy access to guns → more guns = more gun violence * countries with stricter gun laws have lower levels of gun violence * Social exclusion/Isolation * when people feel like outcasts it can bring a lot of resentment (they may feel like they have nothing to lose) * lashing out at world for rejecting them * may feel like they've been wronged by society * Family/Neighborhood * learned behavior: kids who grew up seeing violent behavior are more likely to be violent * creates a cycle thats hard to break * living in high crime rate community makes vidence a social norm * Influence of Media Violence * ex: video games, news media * report indicated that exposure to vidient media can cause aggression especially in young people * it can cause us to be less empathetic * Schools * large schools can cause feelings of isolation ### Misconceptions * Mental Ilness is often blamed for violence →truth is that those with mental illness are more likely to be victims * Low self esteem is corrolated to violence →truth is high ego is what leads to lash outs * Arming teachers is beneficial to school safety →truth is it can lead to accidental shootings or higher tension between students \& teachers * Report says to counter youth violence we must have stricter gun laws \& fostering environments of belonging in school #### Sacred values & Violent Extremism * tackles question "what is it that makes people willing to die for a cause?" * Director of National Intelligence called this willingness to fight an imponderable * mystery we might not be able to solve * dives into reasoning behind serious acts of devotion * research discusses devoted actors (individuals who are devoted to sacred values) #### Devoted Actor * holds certain values that don't allow them to compromise or negotiate their beliefs driven by a sense of moral duty regardless of consequences #### Rational Choice Theory the idea that people act in their self-interest * author notes that sacred valwes may be the reason why sone people are willing to engage in extreme acts of violence researchers went to combat sites \& found that the willingness to fight \& die was found in those with Saared values they also found that spiritual strength was higher than material power in those willing to die his research found that being excluded leads to people holding on to their sacred values more * Sacralization is the process of Something being so important to you that nothing else matters * Understanding deeper motivations is Crucial if we want to develop strategies to fight groups like Isis or Iranian Nuclear Program trying to discredit extremists usually backfires ↳ ends up making people cling to their sacred values more \& make tham more violent #### Rationale Actor Those who act in their own self-interest Understanding Devoted Actors is important because it reevaluates our assumptions about conflict \& consider new approaches This is a clash of wand views #### Counter-engagement involves understanding underlying conditions that make ideologies interesting Understanding the grievances, social dynamics, \& psychological factors that contribute to radicalization adressing root causes It is about empowering communities (when they feel valued they're more likely to listen \& communicate) ### Moral Logic of Suicide Terrorism Atran points out that there are suicide attacks where more tourists go (meaning it isn't only based on foreign occupations) less about structured organization \& more about shared ideology that spreads usually interactions form online * his research found that 80% of these interactions are found outside of their homes * Atran argues that terrorists have a rationale that we may not understand tries for readers to understand the mind of terrorists like Bin Laden * brings up sacred values (deeply held beliefs like moral compass) * tied to a person's Identity * Atran argues that violation of sacred Valves can trigger an intense moral catrage is about defending something human beings regardless of culture or backgrand are capable of committing violent acts when something sacred is threatened we need to be aware of different perspectives * Concept of honor (ex: minor insult might be viewed as huge in another culture) unintentional actions can have unintentional consequences not about condoning violence but about understanding motives * Atron suggests to counter this by 3-pronged Approach 1. Changing motivation of potential recruits 2. Disrupting sponsoring representatives 3. Undermining their popular Support #### Countering It 1. Atran emphasizes that profiling is useless because recruiters tend to blend in (there is no checklist) * instead we should understand group dynamics (how they form): we can monitor networks or subtle engagement by redirecting their anger maybe through faith-based alternatives 2. requires to move away from traditional counter-terrorist tactics * he suggests intelligence in law enforcement must adopt a more networked approach (try to disrupt the whole network) ↳ more about understanding the web of connections they have 3. he argues that we must use "soft power" to address it * uses example of actions like compassion \& addressing root causes *Atron uses Holistic Approach* we need to delve into the grievances that drive terrorists to make extreme choices States that it is a global challenge is not a conventional war but more a mental one * Atron calls for an empathetic approach to counter terrorism * empathy doesn't condone violence but helps us understand the why * we should be aware of the dangers of stereotyping people (leads to misunderstandings \& prejudice) ### GED (General Aggression Model) Aggression is the result of complex interplay of person factors and situation factors. The dynamic interplay between the 2. Cognition affect and arousal Aggressive Cognition thought behind It. Aggressive effect: emotions, anger, fear, excitement is arousal: worin together for a chain reaction. ### Mental Disorders and Guns by: Appelbaum They takeaways: * depression and anxiety link to violence, not just schitzo * Substance abuse has a greater Impact on violence than mental Health * People w/disorders are not violent. 3-5% percent is attributed to violence. * Victimization: people found people with disorders victims of violence, not the aggressors. * Suicide mostly Committed by people with disorders * mass shootings: theires no real connection to people with mental disorders. * Ny law requires therapist to report people wi violent thoughts Fasily can bachfire * people with mental illness are blamed for crime rates. basically... * Poverty and inequality have a lot to do wiincrease in violence. ### Solutions: * Social programs that give people access to education, housing. * Understanding your biases, clon't assume someone is mentally ill. * Support Organizations to help them ### Selective Moral Disengagement * by: Albert Bandura **They Tameaways:** Shifts in thinking to justify your actions. Moral Standards aren't set in stone. 1. Moral Justification: reframe harmful acts for greater good! 2. Euphemistic labeling: trying to make something awful Sound less awful! 3. Advantageous comparison: making bad behavior sound okmay by comparing it to something worse. 4. Displacement of responsibility: Shifting blame to someone else. 5. Diffusion of responsibility: Spreading blame around to ignore the ethics. 6. Disregard of consequences: out of sight, out of mind 7. Dehumanization: Stripping victims of their humanity to harm them. 8. Attribution of blame: blaming the victim, "She was asking for It" mentality. Because of it humans overtime become dangerous * Moral Engagement ↳ humanization: remember everyone is a person ↳ Social systems systems encourage empathy * Everyone has good and evil capacities **Solutions:** Choose moral engagement * awareness * learn to grow Valvess