Final Reflection - Violence
After taking this course my knowledge about violence has greatly expanded. At the beginning of this course I did not have a lot of ideas about what violence really was or could be. After this class, I was able to understand the term violence in a new light along with the different aspects that connect with the theme of violence.
Violence is a behaviour involving physical force intended to hurt, damage or kill someone or something (Oxford Dictionary 2016). What I never really realized was that violence and abuse can be seen as umbrella terms. There are so many different types of violence and abuse. There are also many reasons as to why we become violent. Violence can be connected to abuse in many ways including, physical abuse, sexual abuse and emotional abuse. These types of abuse lower an individual’s self worth and ruin them, not only physically but mentally. I did not realize that violence can also be related to more than just certain types of abuse. Violence is also connected with certain factors whether it be socially, economically, psychologically or ethically. We found these factors through our group presentations. I never really thought about these factors and the impact they have on the topic of violence. My presentation was based on the psychological effects of violence. After doing this project I was able to recognize so many different effects of abuse and how abuse can alter an individual’s life forever. The list of effects were endless and I was sad to see that they can last for years on end if not forever.
Throughout this course, we were able to see many aspects of violence including how individuals apply themselves to a particular role especially in the circumstances of authority versus criminals. In the Stanford Prison Experiment movie, we witnessed how individuals took on a role of either a prison guard or a prisoner and how far they took their newfound ‘title’. I did not realize how far people will go to fulfill their role and it is even crazier to think that this was in a way, a “non-existent” role. The prison guards had no sympathy for the prisoners and felt a sense of empowerment. After watching this movie I was able to recognize how powerful certain roles are in society and how easy it is for these roles to consume someone.
In some circumstances people can be okay with acting violent because it is part of their lifestyle. In certain countries it is acceptable to behead an individual because beheading is a ritual in some cultures. If someone were to behead an individual in Canada, that person would be sent to jail and the public would be disgusted and outraged. This goes to show how ethnically different people are around the world. We all believe in different things, what we see as right and wrong could be seen as the complete opposite somewhere across the world. On the other-hand, some people may become violent because they are not stable mentally, physically and/or emotionally. We watched another video that dealt with a mother who had a son who would lash out violently and needed medication to calm him down. This mother was cautious about the fact that her son could become one of those ‘school shooters’. From what was shown in this video, her son seemed to have a good lifestyle he just could not control his anger and aggression. From this I was able to gather that sometimes there is no root to a problem when it comes to an individual’s control with their stability and their aggression.
These examples that were provided definitely altered but also solidified my opinions regarding the topic of violence. I still believe that violence can only be negative. In some circumstances such as abuse, violence is not needed. In no way shape or form is abuse needed. On the other hand, if you are trying to protect yourself I believe that if violence is the only way to do it then it is acceptable. This does not mean that violence is positive and makes something better off.
After taking this class, I can definitely say that I understand many more aspects of violence than I did before and I can understand why we act the way that we do. Overall this class was very informative and I can apply what I have learned to everyday life. It is very important for people to understand various aspects of violence in order to allow for a better future for people in our society.
Reference
Definition of violence in English:. (n.d.). Retrieved April 05, 2016, from http://www.Oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/violence
Sanjeev.NETwork . (n.d.). Retrieved April 06, 2016, from http://www.sanjeev.net/printads/s/singapore-domestic-violence-verbal-abuse-7440.html
