Men and violence: do you have a problem with that?
Written by Ciaran Mulholland, consultant psychiatrist/senior lecturer in mental health
Violence is a common feature of most societies. Statistically, we know that it's predominantly a male characteristic, particularly one of young males. In England and Wales more than 90 per cent of violent offenders are male, and half of those are aged between 17 and 24. So why are men prone to acts of violence?
Natural-born fighters
The instinct hypothesis suggests that aggression is a natural instinct that has the biological function of ensuring the proper spacing of animals, thereby helping to maintain the stability of the group.
Conrad Lorenz, the man behind this theory, observed that members of the same species were aggressive towards each other when they were subject to specific threats.
He believed that men's violent instincts are normally expressed in a socially approved way in the modern world, for example through sport. It is the failure to find such expression that leads to undesirable aggressive acts.
Driven mad
Another view is the frustrated-drive theory, which suggests aggression stems from the frustration of not getting your own way.
It holds that aggression is the end result when a person is prevented from achieving a goal. The degree of aggression depends on:
- how important they perceive the goal to be
- the number of times they have been thwarted in achieving it.
Frustration may not lead to aggression if other inhibiting forces are present, such as a fear of consequences, eg a criminal record.
The aggression may also be displaced onto objects other than the frustrating agent. An example would be kicking a cat when you're angry with the cat's owner.
This view may explain some aspects of aggression but it cannot account for the whole picture because frustration leads to different responses in different people.
- Some respond with dejection and resignation.
- Others react with a positive, active effort to overcome whatever barriers are in their way.
This theory also fails to explain some types of violence, including sadistic acts or those carried out in defence of a reputation.
Chemical reaction
If violent acts are not simply the result of frustration at external events, could hormones be to blame?
There has been much controversy as to the role of male hormones in aggression.
Some argue that testosterone predisposes men to aggression.
This has been borne out in part by studies that show men who abuse steroids while bodybuilding are more aggressive and explosive than those who do not.
It is beyond argument that men have more testosterone in their circulation than females and that men are more aggressive.
- Typically, males produce about 25 times as much testosterone per day as females.
- Male testosterone levels peak in the late teens and remain high until the mid-20s: precisely the time in which male aggressiveness and violence is most common.
. But it's clear that testosterone does not in itself lead to violence. The evidence from studies on bodybuilders cannot be taken entirely at face value.
Individuals who abuse anabolic steroids often abuse other drugs too, including alcohol, cocaine and amphetamines, and are often highly aggressive and competitive prior to this abuse.
While it's likely that increased levels of testosterone aggravate a tendency towards violence in some men, it does not follow that all men are naturally violent.
Aggravating the aggression
Factors in violence
- Personality.
- Immediate social group.
- Behaviour of the victim.
- Alcohol.
- Drugs.
- Immediate environment.
- Changes to your health.
- Mental abnormality.
- Social circumstances.
Personality
Some individuals over-control their emotions while others under-control them.
Both these personality types are more prone to violence than the norm.
- People who under-control are more likely to often be aggressive. With practice this personality-type learns to contain their aggression.
- The over-controllers are more likely to be extremely aggressive, but only on occasion. Because this personality type is unused to aggressive feelings and reactions, they lose control once the outburst begins, often with severe consequences.
Immediate social group
The influence of the immediate social group can be seen in the case of football hooligans, angry crowds or young men out at night drinking.
Here, the aggression may merely take the form of posturing or may turn to actual violence.
In such instances a man's behaviour may owe more to the effect of group pressure than to his own personality.
Behaviour of the victim
Victims of violence are often well known to the aggressor.
In 25 per cent of homicides, the victim appears to play a substantial part in triggering the violence by provoking the aggressor.
In one study, half of spouse murder victims were found to be alcoholic or psychotic and had played a significant part in their own death.
Controversial studies of battered wives have also revealed a sub-group who were repeatedly provocative to their explosive husbands.
Alcohol
Fifty per cent of violent incidents happen in or near pubs, while alcohol is often involved in acts of violence at home.
There is a clear link between the abuse of alcohol and aggressive behaviour.
Alcohol reduces our inhibitions.
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