Violence in American Society & the Social Worker
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This paper is an analysis of violence in American society and its impact on the duties and responsibilities of the social worker. The United States has long been recognized as having one of the most violent cultures of all developed nations. While sociologists disagree on the reasons for this situation, they nevertheless acknowledge the significant role that violence plays within the American environment. Some scientists argue that violence is encouraged in the individual by societal forces, while others contend that individuals take advantage of existing circumstances and act on their innately violent impulses, forcing their environment to become a more violent place in which to live because of their actions. While the truth probably lies somewhere between these two extreme positions, the social worker must nevertheless contend with the effects of violence as a significant factor in carrying out the duties of the profession. Therefore, the social work practitioner must understand violence as a major part of the overall system in order to deal more effectively with other problems, issues, and policies. This paper is a brief attempt to place the issue of violence into the context faced by the social work professional. Violence is not an American phenomenon, yet violence in the United States is a significant social problem. David E. Newton (1996) observes, "By almost any measure one cares to use, American society is far more violent than that of any developed nation in
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oss all neighborhoods and demographic groups. Evidence suggests that it occurs in inner-city neighborhoods, disproportionately among the young and in public places. In Chicago in 1990, . . . the six areas with the highest crime rates were also the poorest areas in the city (p. 46).
As Van Soest and Bryant have already noted, violence is frequently tied to poverty within the community.
Another study, conducted by Patricia L. Gagne (1992), looked at violence as a means of social control of women by men in the Raven Ridge community of Appalachia. Gagne interviewed and observed a number of families within the community, focusing on individual cases and discovering the systems by which those individuals were representative of and connected to the larger community.
On the individual level, Gagne encountered numerous stories such as those recounted by Leah, whose gun-collecting husband, Andy, once chased her from the house, firing over her head (p. 407). Andy frequently shot his gun at Leah; she reported, "He didn't wanna kill me. He wants me to have faith in him, that he is so good at everything he does" (p. 408), but the actual effect of Andy's actions was to place Leah in a constant state of terror that one day, either by accid
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Bell Jenkins, Soest Bryant, Appalachia Gagne, Murray Straus, , Shirley Bryant, Raven Ridge, Jacquelyn Campbell, James Gilligan, February Community, bell jenkins, van soest, van soest bryant, social professional, jenkins 1993, soest bryant, violent behavior, chronic violence, bryant 1995, gagne 1992, social control, soest bryant 1995, posttraumatic stress disorder, faced social professional, stressful life events,
Approximate Word count = 2128
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page)
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