NCJ Number
50617
Date Published
1978
Length
39 pages
Annotation
THE THEORY THAT VIOLENCE IN AMERICA IS LEARNED UNDER SUBCULTURAL CONDITIONING IS DISCUSSED IN CONNECTION WITH HOMICIDE AND RAPE.
Abstract
'VIOLENT' BEHAVIOR CONSIDERED DEVIANT IS INDICATED TO VARY ACCORDING TO SUBJECTIVE PERSPECTIVES AND CULTURAL VALUES. THE STANDARDS BY WHICH MOST AMERICANS DETERMINE A DEVIANT VIOLENT ACT ARE LISTED. THE RENAISSANCE OF THE THEORY THAT HUMAN AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE ARE GENETICALLY DETERMINED IS NOTED, AND THE LACK OF UNIFORMITY OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR ACROSS HUMAN CULTURES IS CONSIDERED SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE TO DISPROVE THIS THEORY. TWO FORMS OF HOMICIDE, CRIMINAL AND NONCRIMINAL, ARE DISCUSSED AS BROAD CATEGORIES, WITHIN WHICH SUBTYPES ARE INDICATED. CLASSIFICATIONS OF HOMICIDE ARE NOTED TO VARY FROM ONE LEGAL JURISDICTION TO ANOTHER, INDICATING THE DIFFERING VALUE JUDGMENTS ABOUT HOMICIDE IN A VARIETY OF CIRCUMSTANCES. SOME OF THE PREVALENT STEREOTYPES HELD ABOUT MURDER ARE SHOWN TO BE FALSE IN THE LIGHT OF STATISTICS. THE THEORY THAT VIOLENCE IS LEARNED IN SUBCULTURES THAT ASSOCIATE AGGRESSION WITH MASCULINITY IS EXPLORED. IN SUCH A SUBCULTURE THREATS TO ONE'S MASCULINITY BECOME LEGITIMATE OCCASIONS FOR VIOLENCE. THE CHARACTERISTICS AND STIMULI OF THOSE OCCASIONS ARE ALSO BELIEVED TO BE INTERPRETED BY SUBCULTURAL CONDITIONING STANDARDS. RAPE IS VIEWED AS AN AGGRESSIVE ACT THAT IS A LOGICAL CONSEQUENCE OF A CULTURE OR SUBCULTURE WHERE WOMEN ARE VIEWED AS INFERIOR TO MEN AND PERCEIVED AS TOOLS TO BE EXPLOITED FOR THE NEEDS AND PLEASURES OF MEN. THE VIEWS OF MEN IN GENERAL AND MALE-DOMINATED LAW ENFORCEMENT AND COURT PERSONNEL TOWARD RAPE ARE CITED AS EXAMPLES OF THE CONDITIONING THAT VIEWS RAPE AS A VICTIM PRECIPITATED INCIDENT. (RCB)