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Mean Teen
Recognizing Early Signs of Violence
By Carma Haley Shoemaker
"What causes someone to punch, kick, stab or fire a gun at someone else or even his or herself is not a black and white issue," says Arnold Goldstein, Ph.D., a professor at the Center for Research on Aggression at Syracuse University. "There is no simple answer to that question. But there are many reasons and situations we feel contribute to violent behaviors in teens, and these are being watched and studied carefully."
Being able to recognize these reasons and situations may be the first step in stopping the violence before it occurs. Goldstein says the following reasons are common:
- Expression – Some teens use violence to release feelings of anger and/or frustration. They think there are no answers to their problems and turn to violence to express out-of-control emotions.
- Manipulation – Violence is used as a way to control others or to get something they want.
- Retaliation – Violence is used to retaliate against those who have hurt them or someone they care about.
- To earn respect – Violence is sometimes used as a way to earn respect of others, especially in males, as many teen boys believe that being strong and intimidating means that others will respect and accept you.
Many of the most popular pastimes of teens today involve video or computer games. As these methods of entertainment gain popularity, should we worry about an increase in teen violence as well?
"Video games do not create violent teens," says Robert R. Butterworth, Ph.D., of International Trauma Associates in Los Angeles, Calif. "It is the inability to handle anger that is the key. Attacking the media is just an ineffective smoke screen. It can be said that organized sports are just as hateful as video games, but this violence doesn't make the news. There is no real media coverage when rival teams play and someone ends up getting hurt or paralyzed playing sports. It's true some video games are awful, but parents are the ones who ultimately make the decisions about what media their teens have access to."
