We live in an increasingly globalised society that allows for more or less frequent contact and knowledge with people with different opinions, beliefs and ways of seeing the world. Although this usually generates a current of understanding between different cultures, sometimes it can also degenerate into social violence .

The fact is that contact with different currents of thought allows society to evolve towards values such as tolerance and mutual respect, but for some people it can be aversive to perceiving the differences between the ways of living and thinking with other peoples and groups, in some cases in direct opposition to their own beliefs and assuming the perception of inequality or the loss of social power. Thus, the loss of power and the misunderstanding of other ways of seeing the world considering one’s own ideals as the only or most appropriate ones can degenerate into violence.

Social violence: what is it?

Social violence is understood as any act with social impact that attempts at the physical, psychic or relational integrity of a person or a group, these acts being carried out by a subject or by the community itself.

In some cases this violence is applied with the purpose of achieving an improvement in living conditions or as a form of protest against treatment that is considered to be humiliating, as occurs in some riots and revolts. On other occasions it is intended to diminish the power of others in order to harm them or their views, or to increase the perception of one’s own authority.

But in general, we can determine that the objective of social violence as such is the obtaining or maintenance of power and social status . However, on many occasions this is linked to political violence, in which violent acts are carried out with the aim of achieving political power, or economic violence, in which the objective is to obtain capital.

Types of social violence

There are many forms of social violence, some of which include domestic violence, racist and/or homophobic attacks, terrorist attacks, kidnapping, murder or manslaughter, sexual assault, vandalism, bullying at school or work, or any type of action that seeks to alter public order through the exercise of violence.

However, this type of violence does not only include criminal acts carried out directly , but also aspects such as values, stereotypes, prejudices and slanders transmitted culturally or through the media that may incite hatred or contempt for a person or group. Clear examples of this are the promulgation and spread of beliefs that incite male chauvinism, homophobia or racism.

Associated factors

Social violence can originate in very different and diverse contexts, being incited by the interaction of a large number of variables. Thus, there is not a single cause of social violence but rather it has a multiple origin , requiring an investigation of the different factors that can end up leading to it. Some of these factors are the following

1. Perception of inequality

On many occasions social violence is exercised in conditions in which individuals perceive the existence of inequity .

The observation or belief that other people who in principle should be treated the same as the subject himself are treated favourably by institutions or societies, or even more importantly that the person or group itself is treated unfairly or worse than it should be, can generate a comparative grievance that may end in some kind of violence. The perception of inequality can be behind mass phenomena such as riots and revolts.

2. Threats to one’s position

As we have said, the aim of social violence is to maintain or increase one’s social status or power. One of the main reasons for this is the consideration that one’s power is threatened. The exercise of power by others can be considered as incompatible with autonomy and one’s own power , with which the individual or collective is frustrated and seeks to increase one’s control over others through violence.

On the other hand, the idea that there is an entity external to society that puts its stability at risk is often used as an excuse for aggressive measures to control the population, something for which a clear justification is needed. In order to avoid this danger, the welfare of minorities can be compromised.

3. Social exclusion

Although linked to the above factors, social exclusion is in itself an important factor in explaining some acts of social violence. The feeling of not being considered by society as a whole as part of it generates frustration and anger towards the world and the society in which one lives. Vandalism, theft and aggression are some of the types of violence that are usually generated by this factor.

4. Rigid and restrictive education

Educational patterns are of great importance in explaining social violence. An excessively rigid and restrictive education can make a person incapable of making his or her views, opinions and beliefs more flexible . This leads one to think that the way of doing things to which the subject is accustomed is the only or the most valid one, other options being inconsistent and unacceptable.

For example, identity policies, based on contempt for what is different, can be based on an education based on Manichaeism and on the demonization of people who are perceived as being outside the group to which they belong.

Vulnerable groups or frequent targets of social violence

As a rule, social violence is often applied against minorities, especially those who have traditionally been persecuted or oppressed but who over time have increased their social acceptance, power and rights.

Such change is perceived by some individuals as a threat to their own power and beliefs, trying to perpetuate traditional roles through direct or indirect violence . However, in other cases, it is the minority that begins to exercise violence, as a form of protest or vindication or in order to achieve a specific objective, as occurs in some popular revolts.

Likewise, in some cases other groups are the target of indirect social violence in order to be used as a means of perpetuating their own power, transforming originally neutral individuals or even the person who is the object of violence into a transmitter of such violence. Let’s look at some of the groups that are either particularly vulnerable or have been the object of social violence throughout history.

1. Childhood

One of the most vulnerable groups in the face of social violence, whether it occurs directly on them or observed indirectly, is that of children. Children are especially vulnerable, taking into account that they are immersed in a development process that has not yet provided them with enough tools, neither physical nor psychological , to efficiently face violent situations.

As a general rule, social violence against children is often aimed at dominating a more vulnerable being in order to increase one’s perception of power, or as an indirect means of harming a person or institution.

Likewise, the continuous observation of violence as a method of control can provoke the thought and belief that the attack is an adequate and adaptive strategy to achieve one’s objectives.

2. Disabled

Persons with both physical and intellectual disabilities may also be subject to social violence, by not allowing them to participate in society or by exercising different types of action on them as a form of domination and exercise of power.

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3. Popular classes

The popular classes and the population with less purchasing power are often the object of social and institutional violence, taking advantage of their situation of precariousness and instability. The same occurs in groups with a high risk of social exclusion, such as people under the protection of the state or drug addicts.

4. Women

The role of women in society has been changing throughout history, and in recent times they have come to seek equality between the sexes. However, some individuals and sectors of society resist the existence of equality, which in many cases means a loss of power and the traditional role assigned to men.

Some examples of social violence against this group are gender violence , the forced perpetuation of traditional roles, the difficulties of access to the work environment or the inequalities still present.

5. Immigration, ethnic and religious minorities

Another classic target of social violence is ethnic and/or religious minorities. Although in this aspect too, general society seeks equality between people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, some sectors do not look kindly on the incorporation into the community of individuals with characteristics that do not coincide with the norm. The type of social violence that is most frequent is that linked to racism , which can include physical aggression, humiliation and even attacks.

6. LGTB Community

The LGTB community is another group that has traditionally been persecuted, vexed and undervalued . With the passage of time this group is seeing how it is increasingly accepted in the community, gradually achieving equal rights with respect to the heterosexual population. However, just as with equality between the sexes and between races, some individuals and sectors of society believe that equal rights should not be given, exercising different types of physical, psychological or social violence against this group.

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Effects of social violence

The effects of social violence, as well as its causes, can be many and varied.

The person, group or institution that has been attacked may suffer a profound sense of humiliation that can greatly diminish their self-esteem and autonomy, and even lead to the death of the part that has been violated.

In some cases, the attacked entity may be forced or coerced to perform certain behaviours for fear of the consequences of the opposition or due to a change of attitude after experiencing the violent episode. In others, the display of violence may awaken the aggressor’s reactivity and increase their determination to pursue their ideals or to maintain their position despite the risks.

Similarly, the knowledge and observation of violent behaviour can awaken a so-called effect and trigger new attacks. In other cases it can, as with children, teach them that violence is a useful mechanism for achieving one’s objectives.

One of the risks of social violence is that it is often minimized, through mechanisms such as habituation, desensitization, invisibility and normalization . These mechanisms cause that in the long run the population does not care about committing violent acts (for example, we are used to receiving news of aggressions, violence or casualties in other countries due to wars and natural disasters, to the point that we have become desensitized and do nothing about it).

In order to avoid the repetition of violent acts, it is necessary to recognize and combat the mechanisms that elicit it, such as those mentioned above, and to ensure that such acts of violence are not covered up or hidden, but recognized and combated.

Bibliographic references:

  • Corsi, J. and Peyru, G.M. (2003). Social violence. Ariel.