Youth ViolenceEver since the terrible tragedy at Columbine High School, there has been a numerous list of recent school shootings in America. Youth violence is a major issue in todays society. Many people dread what causes adolescents to be so violent, committing horrible crimes.
There are many wonders that go around about why young adolescents commit such violent crimes. These questions vary from why kids take guns to school, or how do we know if they are putting others in danger, what signs are there, what should be looked at, and what can be done to stop these acts of violence. I remember watching the MTV special Warning Signs; it explained the violence in our society today. In the video they talked with young adolescents and asked them questions dealing with crimes they have been institutionalized for. The video also explained warning signs of someone who may be planning to commit an act of violence. Reasearch has shown that aggression plays a significant role in ones behavior problem.
Aggression is any form of behavior intended to harm or injure another living being. There are many reasons why someone acts in an aggressive way. First, many people have an instinct of being aggressive towards certain individuals, second genes are another factor that can develop from a complex interaction of biology, social experience, and each individuals behavior, third the brain and the nervous system has a direct effect on aggression as well, forth substance abuse as well as alcohol is a form of aggression, fifth between males and females hormones, they each differ in the amount of aggression each sex has, sixth frustration which leads to anger then leads to aggression, and lastly different cultures and the way you interact in your society can affect how aggressive you are. (Chapter 16 factors of agression)Lifestyles also play an important part in youth violence. Growing up in a divorced family as well as the way your parents raised you are major aspects that effect youth today.
When children go through a divorce they experience tremendous pain and go through a lot of changes in their life. (chapter 9 impact of divorce) They experience behavioral problems, and less academic achievements. Adolescents in this stage can also experience aggression toward their parents as well as their friends and other family members due to the divorce. Every parent had there own parenting styles of raising their kids, however, some ways can lead to corrupt behavior.
There are the authoritative parents whose children tend to be moody, aggressive, and have poor communication skills. Then there are the permissive and authoritative parents who are generally caring and sensitive towards their children. (chapter 9 parenting styles) Studies have shown that if you grow up in a family that shows aggression towards one another, then it is more likely that you as a young adult will be aggressive as well. However in recent studies, it is said that in adulthood individuals are outgrowing aggression.
There are still many questions that go around as to why the youth of today turn to violence. Many people feel that there is too much violence in TV, as well as in movies, children have easy access to guns as well as other harmful weapons. Many parents leave children unsupervised. Even though there are no accurate answers to why these children commit such violence, I feel that the parents have a major impact on their actions. Violence affects our society greatly and we need to put an end to this unnecessary violence.
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