What is social violence?

This kind of attacks have a social impact aimed at maintaining a situation of power.

We live in an increasingly globalized society that allows knowledge and more or less frequent contact with people with different opinions, beliefs and ways of seeing the world. While this generally generates a stream of understanding between different cultures, it can sometimes degenerate into social violence. can also degenerate into social violence..

Contact with different currents of thought allows society to evolve towards values such as tolerance and mutual respect, but for some people it can be aversive when perceiving the differences between ways of living and thinking with other peoples and groups, in some cases being in direct opposition to their own beliefs and implying the perception of inequality or loss of social power. Thus, the loss of power and the incomprehension of other ways of seeing the world considering one's own ideals as the only or the most appropriate ones can degenerate into violence.

Social violence: what is it?

It is understood by social violence all that act with social impact that attacks the physical, psychic or relational integrity of a person or a group of a person or a group, whether these acts are carried out by an individual or by the community itself.

In some cases this violence is applied with the purpose of achieving an improvement in living conditions or as a form of protest against a treatment that is considered vexatious, as occurs in some riots and revolts. On other occasions it is intended to diminish the power of others in order to harm them or their points of view, or to increase the perception of one's own authority.

But in general, we can determine that the objective of social violence as such is to the attainment or maintenance of power and social status. However, on many occasions it is linked to political violence, in which violent acts are carried out with the aim of achieving political power, or economic violence, in which the objective is to obtain capital.

Types of social violence

There are many forms of social violence, including domestic violence, racist and/or homophobic aggression, terrorist attacks, kidnapping, murder or homicide, sexual aggression, vandalism, school or workplace bullying or any type of action aimed at altering public order through the exercise of violence.

However, this type of violence does not only encompass criminal acts carried out directly or indirectlyThe same also applies to aspects such as values, stereotypes, prejudices and slander transmitted culturally or through the media that may incite hatred or contempt for a person or group. Clear examples of this are the promulgation and expansion of beliefs that incite male chauvinism, homophobia or racism.

Associated factors

Social violence can originate in very different and diverse contexts, being incited by the interaction of a large number of variables. Thus, there is no single cause of social violence, but rather a multiple has a multiple origin, requiring an investigation of theIt is necessary to investigate the different factors that can lead to it. Some of these factors are the following

Perception of inequality

On many occasions, social violence is exercised in conditions in which individuals perceive the existence of inequity. perceive the existence of inequality.

The observation or belief that other people who in principle should receive the same treatment as the subject himself are treated favorably by institutions or societies, or even more importantly that the person or group himself is treated unfairly or worse than he should be, can generate a comparative grievance that can lead to some kind of violence. The perception of inequality may be behind mass phenomena such as riots and revolts.

2. Threat to one's position

As we have said, the objective of social violence is to maintain or increase one's status or social power. One of the main reasons for this is the consideration that one's own power is threatened. The exercise of power by others may be considered as incompatible with autonomy and incompatible with autonomy and one's own power.The individual or collective becomes frustrated and seeks to increase its own control over others through violence.

On the other hand, the idea that there is an entity external to society that threatens its stability is often used as an excuse to undertake aggressive measures to control the population, something for which a clear justification is needed. In order to avoid this danger, the welfare of minorities may be compromised.

3. Social exclusion

Although linked to the previous factors, social exclusion is itself an important factor in explaining some acts of social violence. The feeling of of not being considered by society as a whole as part of it generates frustration and anger towards the world. generates frustration and anger with respect to the world and society in which one lives. Acts of vandalism, theft and aggression are some of the types of violence that are usually generated by this factor.

4. Rigid and restrictive education

Educational patterns play a major role in explaining social violence. An excessively rigid and restrictive education can result in a person being unable to make his or her views, opinions and beliefs more flexible.. This encourages people to think that the way of doing things to which they are accustomed is the only or the most valid one, other options being inconsistent and unacceptable.

For example, identity policies, based on contempt for what is different, may be based on an education based on Manichaeism and the demonization of people who are perceived as alien to the group to which they belong.

Vulnerable groups or frequent targets of social violence

As a general rule, social violence is usually applied against minorities, especially those who have traditionally been persecuted or oppressed but who over time have increased their social acceptance, power and rights.

Such a change is perceived by some individuals as a threat to their own power and beliefs, attempting to to perpetuate traditional roles through direct or indirect violence.. In other cases, however, it is the minority that turns to violence as a form of protest or demand or in order to achieve a specific objective, as occurs in some popular revolts.

Likewise, in some cases, other groups are targets of indirect social violence in order to be used as a means for the perpetuation of power itself, transforming originally neutral individuals or even the target of violence into a transmitter of such violence. Let us look at some of the groups that are either particularly vulnerable or have been the target of social violence throughout history.

1. Children

One of the most vulnerable groups to social violence, whether it occurs directly or indirectly, is children. Children are especially vulnerable, given that they are immersed in a development process that has not yet provided them with sufficient physical and psychological tools. physical and psychological tools to cope to deal efficiently with violent situations.

As a general rule, social violence against children is often aimed at dominating a more vulnerable being in order to increase one's own perception of power, or as an indirect means of harming a person or institution.

Also, the continued observation of violence as a method of control can lead to the thought and belief that attack is an appropriate and adaptive strategy to achieve one's goals.

2. Disabled

People with both physical and intellectual disabilities can also be targets of societal violence, by not allowing them to participate in society or exercising different types of action on them as a form of domination and exercise of power.

3. Popular classes

The popular classes and the population with less purchasing power is often the target of social and institutional violence, taking advantage of their precarious and unstable situation. The same occurs in groups at high risk of social exclusion, such as people under state care or drug addicts.

4. Women

The role of women in society has been changing throughout history, reaching in recent times to seek equality between the sexes. However, some individuals and sectors of society resist the existence of equality, which in many cases implies a loss of power and the traditional role assigned to men.

Some examples of social violence against this group are gender violenceThe forced perpetuation of traditional roles, the difficulties of access to the labor market or the inequalities that are still present.

5. Immigration, ethnic and religious minorities

Another classic target of social violence are ethnic and/or religious minorities. Although in this aspect, too, the general society seeks equality among people of different ethnicities and cultures, some sectors do not welcome the incorporation into the community of individuals with characteristics that do not coincide with the most common. The type of social violence that is most frequent is that which is linked to racismwhich can include physical aggressions, harassment and even attacks.

6. LGBT community

The LGBT community is another of the groups that has traditionally been persecuted, harassed and has traditionally been persecuted, harassed and undervalued.. With the passage of time this group is seeing how it is becoming more and more accepted in the community, gradually achieving equal rights with respect to the heterosexual population. However, as with equality between sexes and races, some individuals and sectors of society believe that equal rights should not be given, exercising different types of physical, psychological or social violence against this group.

Effects of social violence

The effects of social violence, as well as its causes, can be multiple and varied.

The person, group or institution attacked can suffer a profound sense of humiliation that can greatly diminish their self-esteem and autonomy, and even lead to the death of the violated party.

In some cases, the victim may be forced or coerced may be forced or coerced into certain behaviors for fear of the consequences of opposition for fear of the consequences of the opposition or due to a change of attitude after the experience of the violent episode. In others, the display of violence may arouse the aggressor's reactivity and increase his determination to pursue his ideals or to maintain his position despite the risks.

Similarly, the knowledge and observation of violent behavior can arouse a call effect. arouse a call effect and trigger new attacks. In other cases it can, as with children, teach them that violence is a useful mechanism for achieving one's goals.

One of the risks of social violence is that it is often minimized, through mechanisms such as habituation, desensitization, invisibilization and normalization. In the long run, these mechanisms cause the population to become unconcerned about the commission of violent acts (for example, we are used to receiving news of aggression, violence or casualties in other countries due to wars and natural disasters, to the point that we have become desensitized and tend not to do anything about it).

In order to avoid the repetition of violent acts, it is necessary to recognize and fight against the mechanisms that elicit it, such as those mentioned above, and to ensure that such acts of violence are not covered up or hidden, but recognized and combated.

Bibliographical references:

• Corsi, J. and Peyru, G.M. (2003). Violencias sociales. Ariel.