Youth Violence There Is No

Youth Violence There is no question of whether youth violence is a problem within the United States. While the rate of crime and violence is on a general down trend, nationally, youth violence is rising consistently. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, there was a 40% increase in violent crime, and over 25% of those crimes were committed by juveniles (Snyder, 1994). However, there are questions as to the causes of such violent behaviors among the juvenile population of the United States.

Of the perhaps hundreds of possible answers, those within the psychological, social, and anthropological schools of thought are often perceived to be the best explanations. This paper will examine the reasons behind youth violence in the United States from all three perspectives, and will attempt to show that while a single factor alone may not cause youth violence, a combination of psychological, social, and cultural factors may blend together to form a breeding ground for violence among the youth of the United States.

Before examining the reasons behind violence, however, it is important to understand the scope of the problem. Between 1985 and 1995, there was a 249% increase in gun-related murders in the juvenile population. In fact, by 1992, firearm murders were the most increasing cause of death for black and white adolescents. Further statistics show that juveniles in 1994 were responsible for over 14% of violent crime, including 20% of all robberies, 14% of rapes, 13% of assaults, and over 10% of murders (FBI, 1995).

Estimates of juvenile crime rates report that by 2010, youths between 10-17 will be arrested for violent crimes over twice as often than even the current statistics show (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994). As violence rises among the juveniles of the United States, the question occurs as to the possible causes of such increased violent activity. From a psychological standpoint, many researchers believe the cause to be internal, in that the problems arise from the psychological aspect of the youth.

According to the American Psychological Association, one psychological reason for youth violence may be expression. The researchers note that, in some juveniles, the release of violence or anger is used to express their out of control emotions. Since youths generally go through multiple periods of hormonal changes, the youth often feels as through there are no answers to problems, and no way to deal with issues. As a result, they may begin to react violently (APA, 2004).

Additionally, the APA notes that, in the cases of some youths, violence is used as a way to manipulate situations in order to gain control. Teenagers, in particular, lead lives in which others are instructing them as to what they need to accomplish. The APA believes that, in some cases, these youths resent that control, and attempt to manipulate those in control through violent measures. Through threats and violence, the youths are then able to feel in control over their own associations (APA, 2004).

Coinciding with this need to manipulate situations, researchers also point to the possible reason for youth violence of retaliation. The APA states that, in some cases, violence is used again those who have harmed the individual, or the family, friends, or business of the individual. In an effort to "even" the playing field, youths may use handguns or other weapons to retaliate against wrongs done against them, in an effort to maintain their pride and dignity (APA, 2004). Other researchers note that violence is a learned psychological behavior.

In over 60% of juveniles arrested for violent behavior, the youths noted violent episodes in childhood, including having a parent arrested for violent crime, sexual abuse, verbal abuse, incidents of physical abuse, or violence against friends or family. Additionally, the psychological effects of violence in childhood, including the low self-esteem of abuse victims, early childhood neglect, the witnessing of violent situations at an early age, easy access to weapons, and a need for attention, all contribute as psychological causes for youth violence (APA, 2004).

In addition to psychological factors, social factors also play a part in the development of violence in youth in the United States. According to the University of Pittsburgh's Office of Child Development, these social factors may play as important of a role as the psychological factors. First, educational institutions can have a large impact on violence in children. According to their research, over 80% of children failing school have serious youth violence issues, including arrests for violent crimes.

According to one study of 11-year-old males, 20% of the subject population of whom the teachers rated as low achievers were later convicted of violent crime, compared to less than 10% of those rated as higher achievers. According to researchers, social situations within the school system, such as overcrowding, imposed conformity, and peer pressure all contribute to youth violence (Farrington, 1989). Still further, study after study has shown that poverty greatly increases the odds of violence in youths in the United States.

First, poorer areas have a higher turnover rate of residents, which can lead to instability and a lack of responsibility for the neighborhood within a given area. Secondly, lower income neighborhoods are less organized than higher income areas, and since youth require some form of organized structure, this can lead to more violent behavior. Even more troublesome, lower income neighborhoods tend to have higher crime rates, and thus, the children are exposed to more crime and violence.

Additionally, social institutions such as the family are generally prone to anti-social behavioral tendencies in lower income areas. These tendencies include drug or alcohol abuse, large, disassociated families, low parental education, and increased likelihood for sexual or verbal abuse (Office of Children, Youth and Family, 1999). While psychological factors and social institutions definitely play a part in youth violence, there is yet another factor, that of the youth culture in the United States today.

In today's fast paced society, research has shown that many children and young adults are often poorly supervised by adults. As such, these youths tend to have access to a range of unsuitable material, such as television, movies, and games that depict high levels of violence. According to McCord and his team of researchers, this access to unsupervised violent depictions can lead to cultural desensitization. This desensitization makes it difficult for a youth to learn right from wrong, and desensitizes him or her to.