Psych Paper Notes

1. School violence starts out with the bully on the playground, or the pushing and shoving in the lunch line, but given the right set of circumstances what might have been prevented with some supervision instead turns into something deadly.

2. The only common denominator that exists between them all is the fact that there is no one determining factor.

3. School violence does not start in the school. Most behaviors are learned responses to circumstances and situations that are exhibited in our everyday life. Home life conditions are influences on all children. If a child grows up in a home where one of the parents is abused, whether verbally or physically, the child will take this as the norm. Studies have proven that a child living in an abusive home will himself become an abuser. Children who see violence view it as a solution to the problem. They see the stronger of the two components as the winner in the situation, and want to emulate the behavior.

4. A survey conducted by the Loeber's group shows that parenting practices of severe discipline and voicing of negative attitudes towards young boys around the age of ten result in an increase of aggressive behavior in the school setting. Also the use of coercive methods to control children, such as the threat of violence for disobedience is another pathway to violent behavior

5. Sibling violence can erupt setting the groundwork for later violence in the school setting. If a child can bully his or her sibling and get away with it then what is to stop them from attacking their peers at school.

6. Lack of discipline can also cause a child to become self-absorbed. A parent who over indulges his child is instilling in the child a feeling that he can do no wrong. He may act out with the knowledge that he will not be punished. This child will grow up with a lack of empathy for others, and be void of moral values for his fellow man

7. Violence on television is learned from a very early age with the watching of cartoons. These funny harmless half-hour shows that make us laugh are the first viewing of violence that our children see. What these shows are telling our children is that violence is ok. It makes them numb to the horror of the actual violence happening around them. Statistically speaking 47% of the violent acts on television do not harm the victim, 86% of the violent acts have no negative repercussions, no one dies, no one goes to jail, and no ones life is ruined. And 73% of the time the "bad guy" goes unpunished (11 Menhard). Media glamorizes violence, teaching our children that it is ok to kill.

8. Music plays an even bigger role in the influencing of today' s youth with its violent lyrics and cult like following. MTV, rock concerts, and CD's all mock authority, glorify guns, and portray women as victims of violence, often mentioning them as deserving of punishment (24 Day). The performers seem to emphasize the violent nature of their music through their attire, and by the messages they leave with us during an interview. All these communication only add to the cynicism of our already troubled children.

9. The deadly connection of gangs, drugs and guns is probably the most evil of all types of school violence.

10. Today there is an estimated thirty-one thousand street gangs with a membership of almost nine hundred thousand young people.

11. Almost all gang members carry a weapon. According to the American Civil Liberties Union an estimated 270,000 guns are taken to schools in the United States every day

12. The drug aspect plays a big role in the conflicts on school grounds. Not only do gang members sel1 drugs to who ever wants to buy them, there is also a connection with psychotropic "legal" drugs and school violence. Prescribed drugs such as Ritalin for ADHD and Bi polar disorder, Luvox for depression, and Prozac for depression are being associated with the mass shootings of the late 1990's. Children who are taking these drugs are labeled as having a mental illness. These drugs have been noted to have serious side effects when given to children resulting in psychotic and violent behaviors (53 O'Mera). Ritalin has been said to be pharmacologically similar to cocaine in its pattern of abuse. Abuse can lead to tolerance and severe psychological dependence. More studies need to be done to test the true effectiveness of these drugs in the treatment for children. While they may make the child more compliant, they may also be setting the stage for future violence.

13. As concerned parents what can we do to keep this violence out of the schools? In recent years) due to the shockingly violent shootings at various schools in conjunction with school educators to see that their children are following all the rules.