Roots of Violence After Reading

Roots of Violence

After reading Tracing the Roots of Violence, by Karr-Morse and Wiley the context of abandoning biological explanations as a focus source for youth crime seems contrary to the reality of modern brain research and modern medical understandings in general. The concepts outlined within this work are clear in that they engage the reader in a brief introduction to the role that key developmental times and processes play in later social, emotional and possibly physical development and actions. Individuals are clearly greatly influenced by even preverbal environmental occurrences. Risking a return to the age old debate regarding the nature vs. nurture argument is addressed in the work by the clear explanation that nature and nurture clearly work together to develop a complete person, nature as a blueprint and nurture as a blackboard. (in Weisheit & Culbertson, 2000, p.38-39)

Additionally the overview offered by this article leads the reader to conclude that the major emphasis in psychological treatment of behavior disorders focusing on cognitive treatment may be a futile experiment and that the lower levels of brain function need to be the focus. (p. 45)

The emphasis of this work is that lower brain levels are at work when imbalances in brain chemicals, under or over stimulation of the brain result in impulsive disabilities and without treatment of these areas, likely chemically and a greater understanding of the defects these people will grow to become future impulsive individuals, with an inability to connect the upper thoughts with base responses to stressors. (p. 53-54) in a sense the inability of the, normal brained (i.e. cognitively developed) individuals treating those with impulse disorders to understand the disconnect leads those treating them to the conclusion that there is something wrong with cognition, where in reality cognitive intelligence is not impaired it is simply disconnected from lower (limbic) brain functions, which guide lower level functions such as the fight ot flight response to stress.

The article also gives the impression that biologically these functions are not completely understood but that once the disconnect has occurred in the brain, at crucial and very early preverbal developmental stages (just like vision and hearing) it remains disconnected and must therefore be treated appropriately. Though this would seem discouraging to many, the reality is that this understanding offers a better explanation for the problems and concerns being faced by individuals today as the environment for infants and early preschoolers becomes increasingly fast paced and difficult. One point that struck home was the indication that the educational focus of the U.S. And many other nations, does not begin early enough and that if the value of this developmental age were better applied through early education outcomes would be different. (p. 41) a quote by expert Ramey brings home the challenge that this culture faces and states the obvious with regard to the need for change of the system, "If we had a comparable level of knowledge with respect ti a particular form of cancer or hypertension or some other illness that affected adults, you can be sure we would be in action with great vigor." (p. 41)

Interestingly, many researchers conclude that children who express symptoms of impulsive disabilities, frequently exhibit shortcomings in cognitive ability (intelligence or IQ) but seem to offer little explanation for this. (Shelton et al., 1998, p. 475) a close reading of the Roots of Violence indicates that this is a phenomena not of actual cognitive ability, or intelligence but of a disconnect between lower functioning and upper functioning, created by early preverbal shortcomings or over-stimulation in the environment. (p. 46) in this case cognitive therapy of almost any nature would be futile, regardless of its popularity, as it does not address the fact that impulsive behaviors, violent or not are not driven by higher thought, i.e. cognition and therefore cannot always and rarely are guided by it. Many are beginning to question cognitive therapy, as a solution for impulsive behavior. ("Therapy on the NHS?," 2006, p. 57)

The problem with this is that the rejection of one type of therapy tends to result in the rejection of all types. The interesting aspect of this phenomena is that in general this usually ends in a cyclical resurgence of the dismissal of biological factors as a possible answer for delinquent behavior, when in reality the opposite is true. Cognitive therapy tends not to work, especially in the long-term for impulse disorders, not because all therapy is bogus but because it is treating the wrong area of the brain. The failing, by most standards of cognitive therapy and especially, cognitive behavioral therapy is that it tends to assume that actions are driven by thought, even when such thoughts are not really there, or at the very least are to fleeting to actually be considered cognitions but are more akin to fleeting words, rather than core beliefs. (Neenan & Dryden, 2004, p. 77)

The biology that is outlined by Karr-Morse and Wiley and the many experts they cite to demonstrate the necessity for feeding the infant brain certain things at certain times is foundational to a better understanding of why the brain and the body tend to disconnect with, out of context response in so many people. A greater social understanding of the latent effects of deprivation and/or extreme harm to a very young child is crucial, and it gives light to the common latent expression of rage in situations where individuals might not even remember the circumstances that occurred during this time. One case in point is the common occurrence of rage expression, associated with sexual abuse of very young children. As these children grow into adults, some tend to react impulsively to their environment, often in a destructive manner and with no logical thought explanation for it. (Painter & Howell, 1999, p. 5) This disconnect between cognition and limbic function could also explain the tendency of some impulsive individuals to blackout, or fail to remember of conceive the reasons for their actions. It can take some people days or even weeks to put back together the events of an outburst, as in general they are feeling victimized during the event, where in reality they may be the aggressor or the victimizer, responding to the situation in a manner that is outside the context or understanding of the person or situation they are actually in.