Today’s youth violence is at an alarming level and therefore it is important to understand its origin in order to apply effective prevention practices. Based on Bandura’s social learning theory, a person tends to witness and later demonstrate actions, which may result in criminal activity. Youth tend to respond violently if they have witnesses to antisocial behavior from either their family, friends, or the media which is often because they believe it will bring them approval from their peers or rewards. The article “Developmental Risk Factors for Youth Violence,” which established a clear link between poor behavioral development in early childhood and delinquency later in life, aligns well with this conclusion. For instance, when teachers identify antisocial behavior in pupils at the age of ten, it could serve as a clear indicator of future violent acts in the child. The statement provides a clear illustration of how early intervention can eliminate the likelihood of future violence.
In a more recent context pertaining to risk factors identified by Andrews and Bonta (2016), the interplay between individual, family, school, peer, and community domains gives a complex perspective of the causes of youth violence. A more pertinent issue relates to the findings from the study, which deal with the family structure: a violent parent’s attitude at age 10 can make a child more prone to violence by the age of eighteen. This aligns well with the social learning perspective, which establishes certain acceptable behaviors at a very young age through observation of others. A child who observes parent-child aggression patterns as normal is likely to accept these patterns, encompassing all the observational learning possibilities suggested by Bandura. Therefore, defining healthy parental attitudes at an early stage can help prevent children from internalizing violence.
Also, peer relations are important in the development of behaviors during the adolescent stage of life. The article also asserts that involvement with delinquent peers, involvement in gangs, and the influence of peers in the surrounding environment significantly increase the risk of violence in youth. This aligns perfectly with Bandura’s theory that the environment shapes nearly all human behaviors. When a young male gathers the opinions of his peers about the acceptance of violent behavior, he is more likely to engage in violent behavior himself. Bandura’s observation of others imitating Einstein even supports this. In the case of adolescents, intervention efforts should focus on seeking out isolated individuals and utilizing additional cultural resources to counteract the negative influence of peers.
The research’s focus on risk factors’ cumulative effect leads to the conclusion that exposure to many risks at different stages of development leads to future violence. This aligns with the theories of Bandura, Andrews, and Bonta, which suggest that the presence of individual risk factors, such as immaturity, particularly in youth’s high-risk areas, and adverse situations can increase the likelihood of engaging in criminal activities. Whenever possible, we must address these risks with appropriate and thorough interventions during critical developmental stages, particularly in late childhood and adolescence, when the risk of such behavior is particularly high. The development study has identified deficits in social interaction and problem-solving skills as characteristics of children exposed to violence, which, if resolved, can go a long way in tackling risks resulting from early exposure to violence.
By incorporating Bandura’s social learning theory and the findings from “Developing Risk Factors for Youth Violence,” we have fully understood the phenomenon of youth violence through a variety of factors. Admitting violence as a behavior, not an event, but a fusion of interactions and repetitions, enables us to advocate for interventions more strategically. Intervening on changing attitudes about violence in the families of youths, reducing negative peer interaction, and dealing with personal risk factors can support the healthy development of youths. It is indeed troubling that even as the world stands aghast at what appears to be an escalation in youth violence worldwide, it becomes imperative to provide mechanisms in society to lessen the chances of escalation in violence and to assist youth in breaking such cycles of violence.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2017). Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. In SAGE Publications, Inc. eBooks. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071800591.
Herrenkohl, T. I., Maguin, E., Hill, K. G., Hawkins, J., Abbott, R. D., & Catalano, R. F. (2000). Developmental risk factors for youth violence. Journal of Adolescent Health, 26(3), 176–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1054-139x(99)00065-8.
I think recognizing the correlation between youth violence is essental to creating the first steps of intervention. Children replicate what they see in their environment and it is essential that we children are raised in as non-violent of an environment as possible. Besides parent to child violence, violence also shows up a lot in our media, and although some real life scenarios of violence that are reported in our news cannot be avoided, the instances where violence is glofied on movies and TV shows can be. Relationships are crucial to a childs development and sense of self, and a lot of times, especially in adolesence, our need to fit and caving to peer pressure is extremely strong. If someone is surrounded by violence amidst their peers, then the likelyhood that they will engage in violence goes up exponentially. Proactively teaching peaceful problem solving, perhaps in schools, might be a great way to lessen violence amongst the youth. Peaceful problem solving, I believe, should be a common practice.
Gruman, J. A., Schneider, F. W., & Coutts, L. M. (2016). Applied Social Psychology, Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems, SAGE Publications