Violence

Violence is any physical, psychological, emotional, institutional, or spiritual act that leads to the psychological, emotional, physical, and spiritual diminishment of the subject. Violence may be negative or positive. Negative Violence is violence that diminishes as a consequence of pain and suffering. Positive Violence is violence that diminishes as a consequence of pleasure and reward.

Related Terms

Violence > Authority, Boundary Violation, Indoctrination, Psychic Wound, Trauma-Focused Therapy

Syncretic Terms

Toxic Socialization > Poisonous Pedagogy

Elements of Toxic Socialization

Toxic Socialization > Chaos, Destruction of Attachments, Indoctrination, Neglect, Parentification, Violence

Notes

Emotional Violence - > Hurting somebody's feelings, their sense of self, their self-esteem

Psychological Violence -> Hurting somebody's cognitive capacity to think and reason.

Spiritual Violence -> Hurting somebody's ability to proper understand human spirituality.

Physical Violence -> Hurting somebody physically.

Galtung defines violence as the "cause of the difference between the potential and the actual, between what could have been and what is." This statement refers to the fact that violence undermines and prevents the realization of one's full potential. Violence "decreases mental potentialities.

Galtung suggests that violence is characterized by avoidable damage. Someone dying of tuberculosis in the 18th century did not die violently, but an individual that does today does, since the death is avoidable and caused by the withdrawal resources that would otherwise have prevented that death.

Galtung suggests a distinction between negative and positive violence, both of which may undermine potential and diminish the subject. Negative violence cause (emotional, psychological, spiritual, physical) pain while positive violence causes pleasure. The diminishing and damaging impact of negative violence are obvious. The diminishment associated with positive violence is less obvious, but there nonetheless. A husband that rewards his wife with presents and attention every time she dresses up and looks pretty is influencing her behaviour in the direction of gender conformity.

Galtung distinguishes between personal violence and Structural Violence. Structural violence is violence where the violent actor has disappeared to be replaced by an institutional fabric that obscures violent human acts. A human resources department that sanctions an employee is engaged in a violent act supportive of specific human interests (owners, shareholders), but the act is enabled by rules and norms and the agent whom the violence benefit have disappeared from clear view.

The practice of violence, like all action, changes the world, but the most probable change is to a more violent world.

No one engaged in thought about history and politics can remain unaware of the enormous role violence has always played in human affairs, and it is at first glance rather surprising that violence has been singled out so seldom for special consideration.

Arendt argues violence is distinguished from power, force, authority by its instrumental character. She sees violence and war-making as the "principal structuring force in society," and that it plays a key role in maintaining The System. She also analyzes the violence in the service of revolution, or in the interests of more narrow groups interests.

Violence is a component of Toxic Socialization. Violence can be used to force compliance and also to achieve political goals. See for example the work of Hanna Arendt

Violence may diminish the the physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual life of the individual.

• physical diminishment: Physical violence that damages and diminishes the physical body and mind. Includes hitting, biting, corporal punishment, prenatal exposure to drugs. denial of food/water. poisoning. sexual abuse: sexual contact or non-contact, sexual interference (Behl, Conyngham, & May, 2003). Confinement and restriction of mobility.
• psychological diminishment:Psychological violence abuse that damages and diminishes the physical body and mind, including impairment of intelligence, memory, perception, attention, imagination, and moral development (O'Hagan, 1995). Examples: Brainwashing/indoctrination
• emotional diminishment: abuse that impairs/damages the emotional life of the individual, including their ability to properly regulate emotions, and to take responsibility, be confident, be open to others when appropriate, maintain appropriate boundaries, and trust. Emotional abuse includes verbal abuse, excessive demands, excessively harsh judgments, and other abuse patterns that impact the child’s ability to feel happy and healthy in their own skin (O'Hagan, 1995).Examples: Brainwashing/indoctrination
• spiritual diminishment:

Full human development, Healing and Connection, requires the cessation of all forms of violence and the re-establishment of healthy, respectful, and nurturing spaces.

Resources

Bullied - Trailer for a film on the consequences of the bullying pandemic

Footnotes

References

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