Chapter 8: Psychology of Violence and Intimidation Flashcards
Instrumental violence
Occurs when the injury of an individual is secondary to the acquisition of some other external goal of the offender.
External goal may be money, status, security, or material goods
Reactive violence (or expressive violence)
Refers to physical violence caused by a hostile and angry reaction to a perceived threat or dangerous situation.
The impulsive and unthoughtful response to a provocation (action or speech that makes someone angry)
Example of reactive violence
An angry person who “flies off the handle” and shoots a friend over a petty argument represents an obvious example.
Examples of instrumental violence
Shooting a police officer in the course of a bank robbery, stabbing a homeowner during a burglary, and strangling a rape victim
What has research supported about the effects of media violence?
Media violence viewing is one factor contributing to the development of aggression and violence
Viewing a steady diet of violence has the following negative effects:
Increases viewer’s fear of becoming a victim, with a corresponding increase in self-protective behaviors and increased distrust of others.
Desensitizes the viewer to violence
- Viewers often become less sensitive to the pain and suffering of others
Encourages some individuals to become more involved in violent actions
Demonstrates how desired goods and services can be obtained through the use of aggression and violence
Sexual violence in X- and R-rated films has been shown to increase sexual aggression in some males
Long term effects of media on aggressive behavior or violence
Long-term effects occur as a result of learning and storing violent and aggressive material in the cognitive system that eventually “crystallizes” and is difficult to change as the child gets older.
Observational learning
The process by which individuals learn patterns of behavior by observing another person performing the action.
Children are especially prone to doing this
- Observation of aggressive behaviors increases children’s likelihood of behaving that way
With frequent exposure to aggressive behaviors children develop
Beliefs (schemas) that
- The world is basically a hostile place
- Aggression is an acceptable social behavior
- The best way to solve conflicts and to get things is to be aggressive
What type of violent media is the most damaging to children?
Violent media that portray an admired perpetrator as successful through the use of violence appear to have a greater impact on the child’s observational learning of aggression and violence over the long haul
What have researchers found out about video games and violence?
Researchers have not linked the playing of violent video games to acts of violence
What is the impact of violent video games?
Exposure to violent video games was associated with increased aggressive behavior, cognitions, affect, desensitization, and decreased empathy.
Serial murder
Incidents in which an individual (or individuals) kill a number of people (usually a minimum of three) over time.
The time interval may be days or weeks but is more likely months or even years
- Sometimes referred to as the “cooling-off period”
Spree murder
Refers to the killing of three or more individuals without a cooling-off period, usually at two or three different locations.
Mass murder
Involves the killing of three or more persons at a single location with no cooling-off period between the killings.
