123 Chapter 7 THE SOCIETAL CAUSES OF VIOLENCE Erin M. Kerrison, PhD Ronet Bachman, PhD Alex Alvarez, PhD KEY POINTS 1. Violence, whether committed or suffered by a child or an adult, necessarily erodes social fabric in a way that undermines positive collective development indefinitely. 2. Social structure conditions culture. Existing sociological theories portend that a great deal of violence and overall dissent is linked to limited access to prosocial structural resources. 3. Victimization and deprivation is experienced in different ways. The spectrum spans from direct physical and psychological harm suffered to the trauma of repeated exposure or witness to violence and harm to having lived a childhood in an environment blighted by violence and disadvantage. 4. Measurement error and underreporting of violence are critical roadblocks in ascertaining the magnitude of so large a social health concern. Nevertheless, available estimates from complementary sources do highlight where violence exists, making violence prevention a more achievable endeavor. 5. Interventions unfold in government policymaking as well in our neighborhoods, classrooms, homes, and individual decision-making processes. INTRODUCTION In 2002, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the World Report on Violence and Health, defining violence as “The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.” 1 Compared to other forms of crime in the United States, violent behavior is a relatively infrequent occurrence; however, it is an issue of primary social importance that provokes highly emotional responses. 2,3 Unfortunately, violence is timeless trend that can take place anywhere in the world, as illustrated by the violence linked to early civilization and expansion, European colonialism at large, East Asian genocide, and modern conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. As just a cursory glance at American history illustrates, violent behavior in the United States, whether institutional or individual, is not a new phenomenon. The European colonization of what is now American soil engendered centuries of violence committed against Native Americans that continued well after the Trail of Tears in the early 19th century. 4 Predating its inception as a nation, the United States has demonstrated a longstanding utilization of violence as a means of emergence, expansion,