Social Violence: A great tragedy

Interpersonal violence is endemic in the United States.Based on recent investigations an estimated 23.5% of women and 8% of men are victimized by violence at some point in their lives.Ithas affected health care availability in the sense that physicians need to pay attention to large-scale social forces (racism, gender inequality, classism, etc…) to often determine who falls ill and who will be given access to care. It is more likely for Social violence to occur in areas where biosocial methods are neglected in a country's health care system. There has been growing public awareness through the media, community advocacy groups, and education in the schools to address this family-based problem.

Since violent situations are viewed primarily as biological consequences, it neglects environmentally stimulated problems, such as negative social behaviours or inequality prominence.

 Inextricably tied to social, financial, cultural, racial, and behavioral factors, these conflicts require a multidisciplinary approach by the physician that addresses prevention, detection, intervention, and resolution.

Social violence encompasses a wide variety of circumstances. These include:

  • Rape.
  • Attempted rape.
  • Sexual violence and predatory behaviors.
  • Psychological abuse.
  • Stalking.
  • Physical abuse.
  • Financial abuse.
  • Neglect (of dependent person).
  • Homicide.

Violence need not always be physical in nature. Humiliation, controlling behavior, repeated verbal assaults, isolation, and public harassment can all produce psychological trauma. Emotional violence can coexist with physical violence, or stand alone. Techniques such as withholding money, withholding transportation, and limiting freedom of movement or association are often employed in abusive relationships. Financial abuse most often involves the inappropriate transfer or use of an elder's funds for the caregiver's purposes.

A great tragedy

The discourse of violence would lose much of its power if groups differing on gender, racial, ethnic and economic bases had more complex and realistic views of each other. Genuine dialogue should reduce the tendency to exclude "the other" (Staub, 1990) and justify violence. At the family level it has been demonstrated that genuine exchange can replace the rhetoric of power and domination: Couple relationships as well as parent-child relationships can be restructured on the basis of mutual respect. Family therapists have a singular opportunity to reduce violence, one family at a time.

Finally, the communications media carry special responsibility for the community's discourse on violence. The perception of imminent violence, for example, has come to exist largely through highly-publicized news stories. Fictional portrayals of violent heroes demonstrate unrealistic success in their ventures and rarely suffer negative consequences. Films, music videos, and television programs promote violence by creating a social reality in which violent actions are the norm. Voluntary self-censorship and an effort to build a realistic community view of violence—while difficult to imagine—offer the potential for system-wide change and virtual elimination of violence in America.