Integrating different perspectives Essay

School violence is a growing concern in our schools at present, and it is a reality that we must deal with if we are ever to find solutions for these situations and how to prevent it form happening again. The world was shocked when the recent killings in Virginia Tech occurred last month and somehow it seemed irrational and illogical for an academically excellent student to have committed. But as the images of horror and violence flashed through the millions of television sets across the world, one asks what may have caused the person to commit such acts and what may explain his behavior. Violence is a form of aggression and it is often an outward or overt expression of anger and hostility which is a product of a perceived emotional affront or sense of persecution (Armistead, 1996). There are several psychological perspectives that have looked into the issue of school violence and it has been observed that most if not all of those that have occurred are extremely violent, with the use of weapons and guns and have resulted to the death of one or more individuals in school. There are also other forms of violence which may have gone unnoticed and unreported to school officials but nonetheless have probably involved bullying in its many forms; from physical, emotional, psychological, racial or even technology based. The cognitive psychology perspective says that violence is the end result of mental distortions and cognitive dissonance that an individual may have experienced in relation to his/her relationships and interactions in class and in school. For example, the Korean student who killed 30 people in Virginia Tech said in his video that he was seeking retribution or revenge from the rich kids in school, because he has suffered much from them. The sense of being insulted and humiliated may be imagined but to the student, it is his reality. He may have experienced or witnessed an incidence where a poor student was bullied and he had identified with the person so much that he claimed the action as targeting him. This mental distortion of what is real and not, of the building paranoia causes the person to behave in ways that may lead to violence. When the individual believes that he has nothing left, or that he has suffered so much that it is time to avenge himself in order to stop the mental anguish thus move the person to violent acts like shooting those he perceives as enemies, to burn the school that he feels have been unfair to him or to poison a class who have ridiculed him (Lowry, Sleet, Duncan, Powell & Kolbe, 1995). Another perspective that explains school violence and violence per se is the biological and evolutionary psychology perspective. This approach says that there is a biological basis for violence, and that a child who has been violent early in life and who has parents who have violent streaks will likely become violent. The perspective argues that aggression is coded into the brain of the person and that it is a normal reaction that lesser animals have continued to exhibit as a means of protecting themselves from predators, and since we share the same instinctual drives. Violence is a behavior triggered by survival instincts, for example, a student who has been flunked by every teacher in his school may certainly lose the opportunity to graduate from high school or got to college. Now the school is the world of the student, it is where he/she builds relationships, accomplishes something, learns and thrived on. If the student is flunked, then he may cease his existence in the school, or is in danger of falling out from the group and losing his sense of belongingness (Menhard, 2000). This naturally is a threat to his survival in the school and thus would be moved to protect his existence in the school system; he may come to school and kill those who will prevent him from reaching his goals. Lastly, the social learning perspective says that school violence occurs because it is now becoming a social reality and that each child is exposed to so much aggression and hostility that it has now become a social construct that is almost an accepted aspect of the American educational system (Newman, 2005). Social learning theory argues that a child learns a behavior if it is rewarded and reinforced, it is also learned if it is shared and accepted by significant others in the child life. For example, if a child grew up in a family where violence is a normal occurrence, it may lead the child to believe that there is nothing wrong with violence. Moreover, if after hurting someone, the child is able to get what he/she wants, then the behavior in reinforced, if the child is praised for hitting the next door bully, then he would learn that hitting is not wrong. Media influence if not depicts and glamorizes violence perpetuate its perception as a normal aspect of human behavior. The peer group and the school is the most influential group in a student’s life, if the student is thwarted, punished and humiliated by either his peers or the school in general, his only recourse is to become violent in order to redeem his self because it is what people do when they are oppressed. School violence is painful, it is jolting, it is irrational and sometimes quite baffling, but what is common to all of the perspectives is that school violence is only a result, an end product that is brought about only by certain events and experiences and from which more effective means of preventing school violence can be developed. References Armistead, L. (1996).What to do before the violence happens: Designing the crisis communication plan. NASP Bulletin, 80, p. 31-37. Lowry, R. , Sleet, D. , Duncan, C. , Powell, K. & Kolbe, L. (1995). Adolescents at risk for violence. Educational Psychology Review, 7, 7-39. Menhard, F. (2000). School Violence: Deadly Lessons. New York: Enslow Publishers. Newman, K. (2005). Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings. New York: Basic Books.