Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Violence, War, and Terrorism Chapter 15 Violence, War, and Terrorism This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: Any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; Preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; Any rental, lease or lending of the program.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Myth or Fact? ► Most research concludes that young people who watch violent television shows or movies are more likely to behave aggressively or violently themselves. ► The United States is a peaceful nation that has been in the forefront of efforts to stop wars around the world. FACTMYTH

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Violence Violence is behavior that is intended to bring pain or physical injury to another person or to harm or destroy property

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Violence Collective violence is organized violence by relatively large groups of people to promote or resist some social policies or practices

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Extent of Violence Civil Disorders

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Explanations of Collective Violence and War ► Biological approaches  stem from sociobiology, a field based on the idea that the genetic make-up of human beings plays a powerful role in shaping human social behavior

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Social Sources of Collective Violence and War ► Structural preconditions include:  the existence of some social strain or social deprivation  competition between people over money, jobs, territory and other scarce valued resources  ethnocentrism or the tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to another culture

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Social Sources of Collective Violence and War ► In specific insurrections or wars these preconditions have appeared in numerous specific forms  Religious conflicts  Racial and ethnic conflicts  Conflicts over scarce land or natural resources  Conflicts over beliefs and ideologies  Protection against attack or invasion  Protection of national pride

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Social Sources of Collective Violence and War ► These preconditions are translated into violence through:  frustration ► an inability to achieve sought-after goals  relative deprivation ► people tend to feel deprived or frustrated in comparison to what others have or what they believe they deserve

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Mediating Factors ► The likelihood that the preconditions and frustration will lead to violence is influenced by some mediating factors, such as  learning in a particular culture or subculture to view violence as an acceptable way of dealing with problems  portraying violence in the mass media in a positive way

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Theoretical Perspectives on Collective Violence and War ► Functionalism  Violence arises from social disorganization in that when people are frustrated in achieving their goals, it means that the parts of the system are not well organized. ► Conflict theory  Violence is a tool that any group might use to protect or enhance its own interests.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Constructing War: The Role of the Media and the Internet ► Interactionism  The interactionist perspective stresses how people’s definitions of situations serve as mechanisms of social control, shaping their thoughts, desires and behaviors.  The media and the Internet shape people’s perceptions and definitions of war and military solutions to problems.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Consequences of War and Terrorism Nuclear Devastation Crime Economic Problems Death, Injury, Social Dislocation Political Turmoil

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Future Prospects ► Social reform is essential to controlling violence but is not easy to accomplish and is controversial. ► Gun control  Research as to whether measures, such as prohibiting some individuals from owning guns or requiring the registration of guns, can reduce violence has generally shown either a very modest impact or no impact at all. ► Media control  Pressure to establish controls over the portrayal of violence in the media has been generally resisted by the media.  Reasons for such resistance include the popularity and profitability of such media as well as concerns about first amendment rights.

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Future Prospects ► Major approaches to preventing war are  maintaining a balance of power  developing treaties for arms control and disarmament  controlling the proliferation of weapons  establishing a world government that would be able to stop nations from going to war  promoting peace through collective action

Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Future Prospects ► Fighting terrorism  Negotiate a political settlement with terrorists  Direct police, intelligence, and surveillance activities at terrorist groups  Use military action against terrorist groups  Enact social reforms that address legitimate grievances of the terrorist groups