Breaking The Chains Of Violence Essay Research

Breaking The Chains Of Violence Essay, Research Paper

Breaking the Chains of Violence

To return violence for violence does nothing

but intensify the existence of violence and

evil in the universe. Someone must have sense enough and morality enough to cut

off the chains of violence and hate.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

We live in a society that has seen a tremendous rise in juvenile violence over the past ten years. Juvenile homicides are twice as common today as they were in the mid-1980’s (Begley 35). Forcible rapes by juveniles rose 28% between 1981 and 1990, while aggravated assaults jumped 57% (Leone 61). Dare we “have a dream” that future generations will no longer experience the hate and violence we have in our present society. In order for this to happen, the causes of violent behavior in children must be recognized and steps must be taken to make sure this violence does not continue. Violence is a learned behavior in children, not an inherited one.

Violence is defined as a threatened or actual use of physical force against oneself or an individual or group that either results or is likely to result in injury or death (Krantzler 1). Schoolyard shootings, suicide, and teen violence have become commonplace in America’s society today. On March 24th, 1998, a schoolyard shooting in Jonesburo left four girls and a teacher dead and ten others injured. Two boys, ages eleven and thirteen at the time, are now serving time for the killings. On April 20, 1999, the deadliest school shooting in American history occurred in Littleton, Colorado. Two teenagers ages 17 and 18 killed 15 or 16 people before taking their own lives (Craig). Also alarming are the killings being committed by preschool and elementary age children: a ten-year old who killed a nine-month old baby by kicking and hitting her with shoes and a basketball until she stopped crying; a four-year old who climbed in a crib and stomped an eight-month old baby to death; a ten-year old who killed an eighty-four year old neighbor by beating her with a cane and slashing her throat with a knife (Morse 26). These cases are shocking, yet they are increasing in number. These acts suggest that something is fundamentally askew within our society.

In order to understand how children learn to be violent, it is necessary to have a basic idea about the development of the brain. The brain can anatomically be divided into four basic parts: the brainstem, the midbrain, the limbic brain, and the cortex. These four parts of the brain develop in a hierarchical progression starting with simple and gradually moving to more complex functions. This development begins with the brainstem which controls the basic and most essential functions necessary for survival. These include involuntary functions, like blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature. The midbrain is next to develop and controls functions such as appetite and sleep. The limbic brain comes after the midbrain and is the seat of emotion and impulse. Finally, the cortex, where logic, planning, and cognitive functions take place, is developed (32).

The newborn brain is just starting to form connecting structures (dendrites and synapses) between the four different areas of the brain that will allow them to become fully integrated. While genetics give the beginning framework of the brain, actual matter is built by sound, sight, smell, touch, and movement from the outside environment. Our present day knowledge of the brain paints a portrait of an organism that is constantly reflecting and adjusting to the environment the individual is experiencing. The experiences of a child will determine the circuits that will be activated (32).

There are some surprising realities when we seek to identify what causes violent behavior from the perspective of brain anatomy. Violent impulses are generated in the lower parts of the brain, mainly the limbic system. Under conditions of extreme threat or rage, the brain is flooded with stress hormones. The limbic brain and midbrain are quickest to take control rather than the cortex, the center of rationality and wisdom, to mobilize the individual. According to Dr. Bruce Perry, our ability to think before we act is related to the ratio between the excitatory activity of the primitive areas of the brain and the moderating efforts of the cortical or higher areas. Any factors which increase the activity or reactivity of the brainstem and limbic system(e.g. chronic stress) or decreases the moderating capacity of the cortical areas (e.g. neglect) will increase an individual’s aggression, impulsiveness, and capacity to display violence. Violent behavior is most likely to occur when a young child’s experiences result in lack of adequate stimulation to the cortex together with overstimulation of the limbic system. According to Dr. Perry, if these experiences are chronic and occur early enough, a state of hyperarrousal or of numbing may become a permanent trait in a child, setting the stage for a host of learning and behavioral problems (33).

Researchers have found that during the first three years of brain development there are critical periods when skills are either developed or lost forever. It has been determined that there are critical periods for developing the ability to trust or feel connected to other people. While it would be nice to believe that given sufficie