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Contributing Factors in School Violence

A pressing issue for educational institutions nowadays is the issue of school violence committed by students.   Students are now in the habit of bringing lethal weapons to schools and disturbing the peace and well-being of fellow students, parents, teachers and school administrators.  This alarming trend can be seen as caused by the following 8 possible factors:

 

  1. Home environment – violence at home may literally beget violence in the child, as parents who fight each other will exhibit behaviors that will be imbibed by the child
  2. Depression – lack of an outlet for a highly emotional child can lead to depression and subsequently will manifest itself as violent behavior
  3. Weapons – the accessibility to and ease of purchase of weapons makes this a compounding factor in the spread of violence
  4. Stress and anxiety – violence can occur when stress and anxiety are present usually caused by a lack of an acceptable normative method of conflict and problem resolution. Constant stress caused by pressures of school and work can exacerbate the problem of violence

5.      Media effect- the pervasive appearance of violence and depictions of violence in movies and television shows also contribute, as children tend to imitate what they see on the television and the big screen

6.      Group effect – peer pressure and the need for acceptance within a group, especially if the group is violence prone, can have an effect on members becoming violent.

7.      Lack of counseling- lack of counseling and guidance, albeit also hand in hand with proper care and affection to individual needs can make children prone to violence

8.      No guidance in difficulties- the lack of an effective way of mentoring a child to deal with problems and difficulties can lead the child to become frustrated and therefore express this in a violent manner.

 

These factors, taken individually or as a whole are contributory in the increasing frequency of child violence seen everyday.  It is therefore of paramount importance that schools, teachers and parents play their part so that this violence be reduced.  The availability of child psychologists specializing in this field should be a great resource in the fight against violence.  However, a word of caution should also be adhered to in that there are quacks also in the child psychology field, in that one should be cautious in selecting the child psychologist to be hired, for this may be more detrimental than beneficial in the long run.