School Violence - Causes Of School Violence
violent youth students behavioral
The causes of school violence are complex and varied. Forensic psychologists who study criminal behavior believe school killers are very different from other violent youth, such as gang members or drug dealers. For whatever reason, they feel powerless and begin obsessing over killing or injuring others. They may make direct threats concerning those they feel are taunting or intimidating them. They often express these thoughts and plans to fellow students. In general, other students tend to ignore the comments or simply look the other way.
Students from Columbine High School mourn the loss of their friends and classmates after a tragic shooting at their school in 1999.
The decision to kill for these youth is not a sudden occurrence, but coldly planned. Use of guns gives them the power they felt deprived of, and makes those offending them powerless. In addition, the shooters become famous with their faces splashed across televisions screens nationwide. The violent outbreak turns the tables and gives them both the power and attention they seek. This type of offender is almost always male; females approach retribution in less direct ways, such as hiring classmates or others to kill those they wish to strike out against.
Each case may represent a unique combination of factors. Some are physical, some behavioral, and others are learned. Physical factors can include birth complications. For example, being deprived of oxygen during the birth process can lead to brain dysfunction and learning disabilities. Violent behavior has been linked to certain forms of these abnormalities. Similarly, head injuries have been shown to increase the potential for violent behavior in certain individuals.
Behavioral problems can be linked to a difficult personality, which leads to problems of interacting with others, impulsiveness, and being unable to conform. These children may not blend into school activities and become ignored and rebellious. Some become depressed and take medication that can produce serious behavioral side effects. Broken family relationships can also be a major factor. Harshly treated children are more likely to behave violently later in life.
Being bullied or teased by others can often lead a troubled youth to violent revenge or retribution. This factor showed up repeatedly in the school shootings of the 1990s and beyond. It received the most attention from school administrators and others in the early twenty-first century.
Learning violent behavior can come from a dysfunctional or abnormal home life, perhaps involving domestic abuse or parents who do not respond well to authority figures such as the police. From this type of home environment, youth learn to react to authority such as teachers or school officials with aggression. Some believe learned violent behavior also comes from repeated exposure to violence in the media such as music lyrics, Hollywood movies, television programs, video games, and 24-hour news stations broadcasting violent or graphic scenes. Studies showed that youth exposed to an overwhelming amount of such material became more aggressive and no longer upset by violence and its consequences. These kids, it is believed, have trouble distinguishing between reality and fantasy.
Schools themselves have changed a great deal since the 1950s, and by the later twentieth century they brought a wide range of students together from often markedly different social environments. Differences appear in attitudes and behavior that can lead to social cliques or racial tensions. A major change was the emergence of gangs, which doubled between 1989 and 1993. Gang activity within schools included recruiting new members, which often led to school violence as part of initiation. In addition, illegal activities in the vicinity of the school increased, such as selling drugs and firearms.
Yet another major factor in the rise of deadly school violence was the easy availability of firearms and other weapons. Estimates in the 1990s on the number of weapons brought to school on a daily basis were staggering. The number of guns brought into schools on any given day ranged up to over 250,000 and the number of knives more than double that figure.
User Comments
over 3 years ago
thanx guyz this is just what i was lookin for on my project
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over 4 years ago
Thanks for this information that you have provided, Im a senior at Westwood College, where I chose to research about this topic. With the information that you have provided me, I am sure to do well on my assignment. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Benjamin G.
Westwood College of Technology
Criminal Justice
about 3 years ago
this is just so dangerous for kids and teens to be violent at schools!! JUST PLAIN PLAIN AWFULL!!!
about 3 years ago
am from kenyan university and this information has helped me alot to compile my due research paper.thankyou and keep it up.
over 3 years ago
thank! it did help a lot for my project on the health!
over 3 years ago
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over 3 years ago
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over 3 years ago
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almost 4 years ago
Thxx a lot. This EXTREMELY help me with my speech.
about 3 years ago
THANKS FOR THIS INFORMATION I NEEDED THIS FOR MY CLASSWORK..
over 2 years ago
while it may be true that shool shootings are a terrible ordeal that this country should not have to go throught, it is not the always the assailants fault. Even though i do not condone the actions that these shooter take, i can see why most would want to do it. for 3 years i was bullied till i wanted to kill myself everynight i never attempted to thoough. I also wished half of my school (the ones that made my life a living hell) would just drop dead. I never thought up a plan to kill anyone but how i wished i could have just hurt them as much as they hurt me. So i can see how the bullied students could go on a rampage. my thought back then when i thought of killing myself was why should i be the dead one i have done nothing wrong? why should i be punished? I thought they should be the dead ones not me, but i never acted on these thoughts because i have self control and was never pushed that far. My life is good now though i am doing well in sports, i have good grades, and i have really good friends. This is my senior year in high school and everything seems to have picked up. Basically, my point in this rant is that i can see how someone would resort to violence to sedate thier anger. I mean someone can only be pushed so far before they just lose it and snap. You may not agree with me and thats okay, but you may not have gone through all the stuff i have and everything these other people have. So you really dont know what it feels like so you cant judge. And how many of us has never thought of killing someone, just because you hate them or wished that they were dead. If you say you havent then you are either lying or your just a better person than I and most others in the world.
4 months ago
jav
the information is usefull indeed and i say thanks.
about 4 years ago
chelsea, maybe you chould read the other articles on this site, or try the database "opposing viewpoints", highly recommended :)
about 4 years ago
i got to do a reaserach paper on this and it help a whole lot d<(-_-)>b
about 4 years ago
Thanks a lot for this information. I've search through at least more than five website for the information on school violence and not found at least anything until I found yours. I chose to do this topic for my online sociology class and this will help me a lot. Once again, Thanks very much
about 4 years ago
Hi,thanks a lot for this information.I'm carrying out a research on violence in schools in the university of the western Cape,South Africa and i find this material interesting.Thanks
about 4 years ago
Thanks for the info you really helped me with my college public affairs module.
about 4 years ago
hey, thanks for the information for my school project !
about 4 years ago
thanks for the info u helped me with my speech
almost 3 years ago
violence at schools is horrible! i cant believe this is happening. it shouldn't! school is a learning place not a place to get shot! something should be changed to prevent this even more. i keep hearing more about this every year!
over 3 years ago
Thanks This is a good site.
over 3 years ago
thanks alot this will really help me out on my essay about school violence, it's exactly what i wanted!!!!!!!!!!:)
over 3 years ago
i am greatful for thie information given which is vital
over 3 years ago
Thanks this will help me a lot with proving a point for a paper.
over 3 years ago
Hi, thanks alot for this infomration. My name is Cortney and i am a student and Yale University and i really do appriciate this information you have provided me with beacuse it has helped me with my Topic.
over 3 years ago
Im finding facts for Comp II and underlining the actual facts for college. Im greatful to be able to find info on the web. Thank you so much, reading all this info really makes you wonder about the insane and the innocent. My Heart goes out to all that has experienced in any way. God Bless you All.
over 3 years ago
wow great information! this actually helped for my powerpoint for my current history class.
almost 4 years ago
Thanx this is perfect for my research paper
almost 4 years ago
this is the best page on school violence ever!!!
almost 4 years ago
thank you so much!!!
this really helped me find what i was looking for!!
almost 4 years ago
this is a great website, it helped me with my research paper. thanks!!!!
almost 4 years ago
thanx!!! this helped me ALOT!!! on my cause and effect essay!!
over 4 years ago
i just wanted to say how truly sorry i feel about the columbine shooting.I can't imagine being there and experienceing such a disturbing time.
10 months ago
School Violence - Causes Of School Violence
over 2 years ago
school is a place we go to get educated and to learn not to get shot and loose our friends and loved ones.
about 3 years ago
how would you cite this page for essay
over 3 years ago
Dude, just what I needed for my paper!!!! Great Job!!!
over 1 year ago
BOB
what r the main causes of school shootin?
cant fin d the main reason
over 3 years ago
this is good advice!!!!!!!! THANKS:]
over 3 years ago
wow this is whatI needed!!!
thanks guys :)
over 3 years ago
wow!!! this is exactly what i need for my assignment... Thank you guyzz....
over 3 years ago
Yes!! this is what I'm looking for my essay ! Good information !
over 3 years ago
thank it help me alot it save my butt from getting a fail
almost 4 years ago
thanks for the information. it really helped me on my project about preventing violence in schools.
about 4 years ago
This was very factual and i used it on my english assigment. it had all the info i had been looking for.
about 4 years ago
Hey thanks a lot, the information that I gathered was very interesting and helped me out significantly with my project for conflict management!!!!
over 4 years ago
I am currently writing a paper a cause/effect paper in my English 101 class on school violence and school shooters. This is the first site that I have looked at so far and this has really helped me alot! Thank you!
over 4 years ago
I am also doing a paper on school violence, thank you so much for the information.
about 1 year ago
salve
i want to know that school violence lead the children to drop-out?
over 1 year ago
i think school is meant for leanring not violence and gangs people like gang members should be kicked out
over 2 years ago
i can,t understand why people took it as far as they did harm n hurtin is so much diffrent from killing loved ones. i wish i could ask them how they feel if one of there family members got killed how they would feel but aparently they don,t care
about 1 month ago
to many big words o.O
8 months ago
chue
Thanks for the information. This really helps me in my work.
over 3 years ago
this will help me a lot to write my essay on violence in schools....
almost 4 years ago
Thank you! I used this for my cuase and effext essay
almost 4 years ago
this help me in my effective speaking course in college i got an A thanks a lot
almost 4 years ago
thanks for all the information, we really need it!
about 4 years ago
that was so terrible that eric and dylan did that i feel so sorry for cassie bernall and her family as i do for rachel scott i think that eric is beurning in hell
about 4 years ago
I dont think it was very informtional. I think you missed a lot of obvious points, but thank you any ways.
about 4 years ago
i need information on the causes of school violence and realistic ideas of some solutions to decrease if not eliminate the violence.
about 4 years ago
Thnaks this really helped me with my speach for my english class =)
about 4 years ago
Hey thanks for this i used this on my fccla assginmetn and it helped me alot
over 3 years ago
U guyz rocks this is what im looking for, plz carry on your good work of helping us
u Rock
over 1 year ago
This is the good idea for know, types of school violence to the different countries & schools means environment.
almost 4 years ago
I am a mother of 5 and I fear for my children's safety everyday. I fear more when they are at school because it is were that are exposed to more things that I can not control. I know what I instill in them; respect for others, respect for authority, and respect for self, but I can't control what other parents teach their children. This article is very enlightening. Maybe we should or force a training program for people who are becoming parents to teach them the importance of a positive environment for their children Although some kids will go astray no matter what you try, we must start somewher. My heart goes out to all the families that have lost their precious jewels, and also to the families of the children that caused such loss.
over 4 years ago
I am a student of Cambrian College writting a essay on school violence. I would just like to say this information has helped me a great deal with getting started. thanks again, Colin
12 months ago
this is bahd advice
10 months ago
bobby
horrible fuckikk
about 1 year ago
this did not help me much i need help
over 1 year ago
School shootings are fake and gay!!!!!!! yOU ARE ALL FAEGOTS
over 4 years ago
Thank you alot for this vital bit of information, Im a second year university student, where i was given this topic to write an argumentative reflection....I must say this body of knowlege gave me the push start and again many thanks.
7 months ago
i just found tis website for school it loos good for me bhut my teacher saids that should b carefull about this website cause it well i forgot hut lik i said this looks god too me i give this a 2 out of 3
12 months ago
5'10 53 yrs old in vacouver b.c. canada
almost 3 years ago
this helped me alot and i was thinking alot about the fact that ever since gangs have came in more and more that anger has increase alot to and tv is showing violence and making it look easy and they think that they can do it and it wont hurt anyone and that u will just get the attention but it is much more than that.
5 months ago
violence in schools
3 months ago
Bradley Barnett
Thank you, I found this information to be very helpful, in helping to write my college paper.
3 months ago
very carefully
this also helped with scholl
4 months ago
asia
thanks thats exactly what i needed for my thesis in my report. all these causes are so true.
7 months ago
just has it suppose to be
about 1 month ago
Morissa
They you for the information it really helped with my college research paper.