essay about the causes of violence

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• Introduction

Types of violence

Causes of violence, effects of violence, prevention of violence.

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• Academia - Violence as an Essentially Contested Concept
• National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Violence: a glossary
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violence , an act of physical force that causes or is intended to cause harm. The damage inflicted by violence may be physical, psychological, or both. Violence may be distinguished from aggression, a more general type of hostile behaviour that may be physical, verbal, or passive in nature.

Violence is a relatively common type of human behaviour that occurs throughout the world. People of any age may be violent, although older adolescents and young adults are most likely to engage in violent behaviour. Violence has a number of negative effects on those who witness or experience it, and children are especially susceptible to its harm. Fortunately, various programs have been successful at preventing and reducing violence.

Violence can be categorized in a number of ways. Violent crimes are typically divided into four main categories, based on the nature of the behaviour: homicide (the killing of one human being by another, sometimes for legally justifiable reasons), assault (physically attacking another person with the intent to cause harm), robbery (forcibly taking something from another person), and rape (forcible sexual intercourse with another person). Other forms of violence overlap with these categories, such as child sexual abuse (engaging in sexual acts with a child) and domestic violence (violent behaviour between relatives, usually spouses).

Violence can also be categorized according to its motivation. Reactive, or emotional, violence typically involves the expression of anger—a hostile desire to hurt someone—that arises in response to a perceived provocation. Proactive , or instrumental, violence is more calculated and is often performed in anticipation of some reward. The American psychologist Kenneth Dodge found that those two types of violence involve distinct physiological states: a person engaging in reactive violence experiences increased autonomic nervous system arousal (i.e., increased heart rate and breathing, sweating), whereas a person committing an act of proactive aggression experiences low autonomic arousal.

Another method of categorizing violent behaviour involves distinguishing between predatory and affective violence. Predatory violence involves planned acts of hostile force. Affective violence is more impulsive and unplanned. Other types of violence have been suggested, including irritable violence (motivated by frustration) and territorial violence (motivated by intrusion into one’s perceived territory or space).

One point that all researchers seem to agree on is that violence is multicausal, meaning that no single factor is responsible for violent behaviour. Instead, violence results from a combination of factors, including those originating in the violent person’s social or cultural environment and those representing immediate situational forces. Researchers have examined multiple factors within a person that may contribute to violence, including genetic predisposition, neurochemical abnormalities (e.g., high testosterone levels), personality characteristics (e.g., lack of empathy for others), information-processing deficits (e.g., the tendency to view others’ actions as hostile), and the experience of abuse or neglect as a child.

Regardless of its cause, violence has a negative impact on those who experience or witness it. Violence can cause physical injury as well as psychological harm. Several psychological disorders, including post-traumatic stress disorder , dissociative identity disorder , and borderline personality disorder , are associated with experiencing or witnessing violence. Other psychological symptoms, such as depression , anxiety , and mood swings ( see bipolar disorder ), are common in victims of violence.

Children seem to be particularly susceptible to the negative effects of violence. Those who experience or witness violence may develop a variety of problems, including anxiety, depression, insecurity, anger, poor anger management, poor social skills, pathological lying, manipulative behaviour, impulsiveness, and lack of empathy. As such examples show, some children may respond to violence in “internalizing” ways, such as by developing feelings of insecurity, anxiety, and depression, whereas others may react in “externalizing” ways, such as by feeling angry and behaving in an antisocial manner. Although some of the effects of violence may manifest themselves during childhood, others may not appear until adulthood. For example, abused girls are more likely than nonabused girls to have substance-abuse problems as adults.

Moreover, exposure to violence can increase violent behaviour in children. The American psychologist Albert Bandura showed that children often imitate violent behaviours, especially if those acts are committed by trusted adults (e.g., parents). Children also imitate violence shown on television and in other forms of media. Those exposed to greater amounts of media violence are more likely than other children to become violent adults. This is particularly true if the child identifies with the violent characters and if the child believes that media violence represents reality.

Because the tendency to behave violently develops during childhood, most prevention programs target young people. Many such programs are school-based, although some involve the family or the community . The most-successful violence-prevention programs are those that target all children, not just those who are considered to be at risk for violence. In addition, the most success has been found in school-based programs with committed and involved teachers and programs that include parent training.

A variety of programs have been developed to reduce or prevent violence in individuals who have already shown a tendency toward violence. For example, a number of prison-based programs attempt to reduce the likelihood of reoffending among violent and nonviolent criminals. Such programs often involve a variety of components. Violent offenders may receive training to improve parenting and other relationship skills. A mental-health component, such as substance abuse treatment , may be included. Job training is another common component of prison-based prevention programs. Occasionally, drugs such as antidepressants , beta blockers , or benzodiazepines may be used in addition to other methods. Overall, the most-successful programs for preventing violence are those that effect behavioural changes.

Essays About Violence: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Violence is a broad topic and can be sensitive for many; read our guide for help writing essays about violence.

The world has grown considerably more chaotic in recent decades, and with chaos comes violence. We have heard countless stories of police brutality, mass shootings, and injustices carried out by governments; these repeating occurrences show that the world is only becoming more violent.

Violence refers to the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy . From punching a friend due to disagreement to a massacre of innocent civilians, a broad range of actions can be considered violent. Many say that violence is intrinsic to humanity, but others promote peace and believe that we must do better to improve society.

If you are writing essays about violence, go over the essay example, and writing prompts featured below. 

Are you looking for more? Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

1. Videogames, Violence, and Vulgarity by Jared Lovins

2. street culture, schools, and the risk of youth violence by lorine hughes, ekaterina botchkovar, olena antonaccio, and anastasiia timmer, 3. violence in media: no problem or promotes violence in society by albert miles, 4. my experience of domestic violence by ruth stewart, 5. a few thoughts about violence by jason schmidt, writing prompts on essays about violence, 1. what is violence, 2. different types of violence, 3. can social media cause people to be violent, 4. is violence truly intrinsic to humankind, 5. causes of violence, 6. violence among the youth, 7. race-based violence.

“Parents allow themselves to be ignorant of the video games their children are playing. Players allow themselves to act recklessly when they believe that playing video games for ten, twenty, or even thirty hours on end won’t have an adverse effect on their mental and physical health. People allow themselves to act foolishly by blaming video games for much of the violence in the world when in truth they should be blaming themselves.”

Lovins discusses the widespread belief that video games cause violence and ” corrupt our society.” There is conflicting evidence on this issue; some studies prove this statement, while others show that playing violent video games may produce a calming effect. Lovins concludes that it is not the games themselves that make people violent; instead, some people’s mental health issues allow the games to inspire them to commit violence.

“The risk of violence was not higher (or lower) in schools with more pervasive street culture values. Higher concentrations of street culture values within schools did not increase the likelihood of violence above and beyond the effects of the street culture values of individual students. Our results also showed that attending schools with more pervasive street culture values did not magnify the risk of violence among individual students who had internalized these same values.”

In this essay, the authors discuss the results of their study regarding “street culture” and violence. Street culture promotes toughness and dominance by using “physical force and aggression,” so one would think that students who embrace street culture would be more violent; however, the research reveals that there is no higher risk of violent behavior in schools with more “street culture”-following students. 

“We have had a violent society before media was even around, and violence is just in our nature as human beings. Those who happen to stand against this are deceived by society, due to the fact that we live in a dangerous world, which will stay this way due to the inability to create proper reasoning.”

Miles writes about people blaming the media for violence in society. He believes that government media regulations, including age-based ratings, are sufficient. If these restrictions and guidelines are taken seriously, there should be no problem with violence. Miles also states that violence has existed as long as humankind has, so it is unreasonable to blame the media. 

“It was when I was in the bath, and I looked down at my body and there were no bruises on it. None at all. I was shocked; it was the first time I had lived in a non-bruised body in many years. I don’t know if any other women who got out of violent situations felt their moment. The point at which they realised it was over, they could now get on with recovering. I promised myself that I would never stay with a violent partner ever, ever again. I have kept that promise to myself.”

Stewart reflects on her time with an ex-boyfriend who was violent towards her. Even though he kept hitting her, she stayed because she was used to it; her mother and stepfather were both violent during her childhood. Thankfully, she decided to leave and freed herself from the torture. She promises never to get into a similar situation and gives tips on avoiding staying with a violent partner. 

“I went back and replayed the burglar scenario in my head. Suppose I’d had a gun. When would I have pulled it? When he ran out of the apartment? What were the chances I would have killed him in a panic, without ever knowing he was armed? Stupidly high. And for what? Because he tried to steal someone’s TV? No.”

In his essay, Schmidt recalls an instance in which a man pulled a gun on him, threatening him with violence. He chased a burglar down the street, but the burglar pulled a gun on him, leaving him stunned and confused enough to escape. Schmidt was so bothered by the incident that he got his own concealed carry permit; however, after reading statistics regarding gun accidents, he decided to reject violence outright and pursue peace. 

As stated previously, violence is quite a broad topic, so it can be challenging to understand fully. Define the word violence and briefly overview some of its probable causes, how it manifests itself, and its effects. You can also include statistics related to violence and your own opinions on if violence is a good or bad thing. 

There are many types of violence, such as domestic violence, gun violence, and war. List down the commonly occurring forms of violence and explain each of them briefly. How are they connected, if they are? To keep your essay exciting and readable, do not go too in-depth; you can reserve a more detailed discussion for future essays that are specifically about one type of violence.  

Social media is quite explicit and can show viewers almost anything, including violent content. Some sample essays above discuss the media’s effect on violence; based on this, is social media any different? Research this connection, if it exists, and decide whether social media can cause violence. Can social media-based pressure lead to violence? Answer this question in your essay citing data and interview research.

Many argue that humans are innately violent, and each of us has an “inner beast.” In your essay, discuss what makes people violent and whether you believe we have tendencies towards violence. Be sure to support your points with ample evidence; there are many sources you can find online. 

Violence arises from many common problems, whether it be depression, poverty, or greed. Discuss one or more causes of violence and how they are interconnected. Explain how these factors arise and how they manifest violence. With an understanding of the causes of violence, your essay can also propose solutions to help prevent future violence.

Youth violence is becoming a more severe problem. News of school shootings in the U.S. has set public discourse aflame, saying that more should be done to prevent them. For your essay, give a background of youth violence in the U.S. and focus on school shootings. What motivates these school shooters?  Give examples of children whose upbringing led them to commit violent acts in the future

Another issue in the U.S. today is race-based violence, most notably police brutality against African-Americans. Is there a race issue in policing in America? Or do they target offenders regardless of race? Can both be true at the same time? You decide, and make sure to explain your argument in detail. 

If you’d like to learn more, in this guide our writer explains how to write an argumentative essay .Grammarly is one of our top grammar checkers. Find out why in this Grammarly review .

• The Root Cause of Domestic Violence Words: 2207
• Impact of Domestic Violence on Society Words: 1093
• Drug Use, Dealing and Violence Words: 552
• Domestic Violence with Disabilities Words: 2613
• Violence in the Middle East Words: 1904
• Violence: The Social Problem Words: 2238
• Violence on TV and Violence in Society: Connection Words: 599
• Alcohol and Its Effects on Domestic Violence Words: 768
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Causes of Violence in Society

What are the causes of violence in society: abstract, the causes of violence in society: drugs and alcohol, the causes of violence in society: mental illness and brain injury, the causes of violence in society: justice for offenders, what are the causes of violence in society: conclusion.

There are many factors that can cause people into violent acts. Acts of violence in humans can be caused by triggers to violent acts and propensity to be violent.

The propensity to be violent depends on the personal character of the one committing the acts of violence (Haggård‐Grann et al., 2006). The trigger represents a social factor that leads a person into crime.

Some of these triggers include the use of drugs, alcohol, brain injury and mental illness. Nevertheless, these triggers can only lead to violence if the propensity to be violent exists in the violent individuals (Haggård‐Grann et al., 2006).

There are people who have the use drugs, alcohol, or have mental illness and brain injuries and yet they are not involved in acts of violence. This paper wishes to relate how the use of drugs and alcohol as well as mental illness and brain injury plays a role in acts of violence.

Use of drugs and alcohol can affect the one’s personality making them violent. In the United States, most of the cases that lead to incarceration can be connected to the use of drugs and alcohol. Alcohol and drugs have been connected to property offenses, public order offenses, drug offenses and domestic violence (Parker & Auerhahn, 2008).

Use of alcohol in the United States and most countries is legal and this contributes to social problems such as violence. Alcohol contributes to 40% of acts of violence and according to statistics most of the offenders in jail were drunk when they were arrested (Parker & Auerhahn, 2008).

Alcohol contributes to more violent acts than the use of illegal drugs. Alcohol has been found to contribute to rape, physical attacks, robbery, massacre and domestic violence. There are more than 3 million acts of violence every year connected to alcohol (Bushman, 2003).

Statistics connected to the use of alcohol show that drunk offenders commit most of the assaults. Alcohol is connected to crimes where the victim and the offender know one another and most of the intimate criminal acts are connected to alcohol.

Use of illegal drugs can also be connected to acts of crime. There are times where violent offenders commit the crimes to meet their demand for drugs. Offenders engage in acts of robbery to purchase the drugs (Bushman, 2003).

Those who abuse drugs are most likely to be incarcerated for acquisitive acts of crime such as looting, handling stolen items, burglary and robbery, only to feed their stomachs. Many people are arrested for driving when intoxicated with drugs and alcohol.

Intoxicated driving is understood to be among the main causes of death. Statistics indicate that alcohol and drugs also contribute to juvenile crimes (Alvarez & Bachman, 2013). Juvenile Justice Systems reveal that teens and children arrested for acts of violence are under the influence of alcohol.

Violence in the context of mental illness and brain injury is sensationalized and this affects the stigma of the patients. In today’s society, brain injury and mental illness can be connected to violence and this in turn complicates the work of the psychiatrists (Carmel & Hunter, 2009).

It is because of this fact that most patients with brain damage or mental illness are discriminated in the community for assumptions that they are violent. Most of the violent acts connected to brain damage and mental illness take place in health facilities. This takes place when the patients become aggressive and the psychiatrists and doctors are called to assess the situations.

Mental illness and brain injury patients with stable conditions are not connected to violence. Mental illness and brain injury patients with violent behaviors mostly get involved because of biological factors (Carmel & Hunter, 2009).

When dealing with patients of mental illness and brain injury, it is important to consider their psychosocial factors as they contribute to violent behaviors. Aggression in patients with brain injuries and mental illness occurs when the libidinal impulses are blocked. Violent behavior in these patients may develop from past scenes and experiences.

The criminal justice system’s work is to rule on the cases of violence. Considering that most of the patients with brain injury and mental illness are bound to commit crimes, it would be important to consider rehabilitation than punishment (Swartz et al., 2014). Past experiences and scenes could trigger the violent behaviors of the offenders. Punishing them increases their stigmatization and they end being frustrated.

On the other hand, offenders who commit acts of violence for having abused drugs and alcohol should be punished and at the same time counseled on their effects on their reasoning (Swartz et al., 2014). Alcohol and drug abuse affects the personality of humans and sometimes leads them to behave violently. Incarceration is not the only approach that can be used to make them reform; they can be given guidance for them to end their violent behaviors.

The causes of violence are pre-determined by different factors such as drug and alcohol abuse or mental or brain injury. Most of the violent offenders are incarcerated, but they are not given a chance to reform. The criminal justice system’s role is to ensure safety for all (Alvarez & Bachman, 2013). Though the offenders deserve punishment, they should also be rehabilitated to ensure they do not go back to violent behaviors after they are free again.

Alvarez, A., & Bachman, R. (2013). Violence: The enduring problem . New York, NY: Sage Publications.

Bushman, B. J. (2003). Human aggression while under the influence of alcohol and other drugs: An integrative research review. Current Directions in Psychological Science , 148-152.

Carmel, H., & Hunter, M. (2009). Staff injuries from inpatient violence. Psychiatric Services , 40 (1), 41-46.

Haggård‐Grann, U., Hallqvist, J., Långström, N., & Möller, J. (2006). The role of alcohol and drugs in triggering criminal violence: a case‐crossover study*. Addiction , 101 (1), 100-108.

Parker, R. N., & Auerhahn, K. (2008). Alcohol, drugs, and violence. Annual review of sociology , 291-311.

Swartz, M. S., Swanson, J. W., Hiday, V. A., Borum, R., Wagner, H. R., & Burns, B. J. (2014). Violence and severe mental illness: the effects of substance abuse and nonadherence to medication. American journal of psychiatry .

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Aggression and Violence: Root causes and prevention

Given the state of the world, one may feel that violence is just part and parcel of our lives today. As we get updated on the acts of violence from around the world and within our homes, it is clear that the complexities of aggression and violence continue to remain an important topic to discuss. In this article, we explore the various root causes of violence and aggression and how preventive measures and timely interventions can negate the risk of violent acts. 

Before getting to it, it is essential to differentiate between aggression and violence. Aggression refers to a broad range of behaviour that are used to intentionally cause harm. These can include physical, verbal, relational, or passive-aggressive behaviour. Furthermore, aggression can be categorised into specific subtypes such as i) Instrumental,  where aggression is planned and purposeful and used to achieve a specific goal, ii) Impulsive, where aggression is sudden and unplanned, typically triggered by anger or frustration, iii) Reactive, where aggression is used as a response to perceived threat, iv) Proactive, where aggression is initiated by the aggressor, without provocation. Violence, on the other hand, refers to the intentional use of physical force to harm another person. It is crucial to understand that not all aggression leads to violence, and not all violence results from aggression. 

Across existing research, root causes of violence and aggression range across different aspects of a person’s life. The following lists look at various factors that may increase one’s risk of aggression and violence. 

Biological. Genetics, neurotransmitters, hormones, and brain structures can predispose one toward violence and aggression. For instance, research has identified specific genes, such as the MAOA gene, which carry aggression traits down to individuals. These genes influence brain chemicals like noradrenaline, serotonin and dopamine, which influence factors like one’s impulse control and reaction to perceived threat. Additionally, reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex is associated with increased violence and aggression. 

Psychological. Although people can become violent or aggressive for various reasons, some mental health conditions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) have specifically listed violent behaviour as a part of these conditions. These include but are not limited to, Intermittent explosive disorder, Schizophrenia, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. Contributed by anger and impulsivity, delusions or hallucinations, and compromised executive function, these conditions put these individuals at higher risks of violence and aggression. 

Environmental . One’s interpersonal, social, group, neighbourhood, economic, and cultural conditions can create the potential for or actual violence. For instance, the accumulation of frustration over unmet needs and financial instability can contribute to aggression and potentially erupt into violence. Furthermore, social learning can occur when one observes aggressive tendencies from family, peers, or the media. They may learn that aggression and violence are acceptable and recreate this behaviour. 

These biopsychosocial factors are some of the many contributors to aggression and violence. There are no definitive reasons that cause aggression and violence. Often, it is a combination of factors unique to the individuals. Given the complex origins, understanding the psychology of violence and aggression would allow us to integrate preventive measures and interventions effectively. Depending on the cause, the following are some generic strategies that could reduce risks of violence and aggression. 

Skill-based training. Emotion regulation and conflict resolution skills are effective in reducing violence and aggression across all ages. Learning these adaptive skills early can reduce the occurrence of aggressive and violent episodes. 

Mental health support. For individuals exhibiting violent or aggressive tendencies, seeking help from professionals can be an essential tool. Working with a therapist to develop adaptive coping mechanisms can help one reduce the instances of violence and aggression. Moreover, if the root causes were biological or a result of a mental health condition, seeing a psychiatrist for medication can be essential for treatment.

Community support. Access to resources is essential to mitigate the disparities between socioeconomic groups. For instance, programs that focus on education or employment opportunities can be beneficial to members of the community. 

As violence and aggression continue to be a topic that is very relevant and pervasive in our society, it remains to be something that requires greater understanding and multifaceted intervention. Early intervention is crucial in preventing aggression and violence. By providing individuals with the skills and support they need, it is possible to work towards a safer and more harmonious society. 

Interesting reads

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6300544/#:~:text=Aggression%20is%20an%20evolutionarily%20conserved,necessary%20component%20of%20social%20behavior

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK448073/#:~:text=Biological%20causes%20include%20genetics%2C%20medical,substances%20of%20abuse%2C%20and%20medications

https://uh.edu/class/psychology/clinical-psych/research/dpl/publications/_files/emotion-dysregulation-as-an-underlying-mechanism-of-aggression-reviewing-empirical-data-to-inform-treatments-for-those-who-perpetrate-violence.pdf

Psychology of Violence

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Psychology of Violence is a multidisciplinary research journal devoted to violence and extreme aggression, including identifying the causes of violence from a psychological framework, finding ways to prevent or reduce violence, and developing practical interventions and treatments.

As a multidisciplinary forum, Psychology of Violence recognizes that all forms of violence and aggression are interconnected and require cross-cutting work that incorporates research from psychology, public health, neuroscience, sociology, medicine, and other related behavioral and social sciences.

Research areas of interest include:

• child maltreatment
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• workplace violence
• youth violence

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One article from each issue of Psychology of Violence will be highlighted as an “ Editor’s Choice ” article. Selection is based on the recommendations of the associate editors, the paper’s potential impact to the field, the distinction of expanding the contributors to, or the focus of, the science, or its discussion of an important future direction for science. Editor's Choice articles are featured alongside articles from other APA published journals in a bi-weekly newsletter and are temporarily made freely available to newsletter subscribers.

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Authors should verify in their cover letter that manuscripts submitted to Psychology of Violence have not been published previously and are not currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. The cover letter should also list any other publications from the same dataset and describe how the manuscript overlaps with and is different from other publications, if any, based on the same dataset. See the APA Publication Manual for a detailed discussion of this issue. The cover letter is not shared with reviewers so this information should not be masked.

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Psychology of Violence recognizes that members of marginalized and minoritized groups experience extremely high levels of violence due to a host of legal, social, cultural, economic, and other structural factors. These marginalized and minoritized groups include (but are not limited to) women, individuals who are LGBTQIA2S+, individuals who are members of marginalized ethnic/racial groups, individuals who are low income, individuals with disabilities, individuals from religious minority groups, and individuals who are impacted by privilege and oppression at the intersection of their identities.  We are committed to reducing biases within violence research and ourselves. Psychology of Violence is also committed to recruiting a diverse editorial team and publishing articles authored by individuals from marginalized and minoritized groups. Psychology of Violence encourages scholarship that uses theoretical perspectives, study designs, study samples, and analytical methods that promote equity by representing diversity and inclusion of marginalized and minoritized groups in the United States and internationally. Authors are encouraged to consider system-level factors that influence individuals’ behavior.

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Commentaries

Commentaries are considered for publication in Psychology of Violence . There are two types. The first type is when a reader submits an unsolicited comment on an article published in Psychology of Violence . The primary purpose of the commentary would be to provide a meaningful insight, concern, alternative interpretation, clarification, or critical analysis of the original article. It is not intended to simply be a critique of the literature review or basic methodology or statistics (e.g., suggesting articles that should have been included in the literature review, suggesting a different type of data analysis, noting that a study is statistically underpowered). Instead, the commentary should provide a richer and more comprehensive context for understanding the article that significantly adds to the literature by focusing on conceptual issues, methodological issues, and/or the policy implications of the findings. If a commentary is accepted, then the original author is invited to write a reply to the comment.

Commentaries should be submitted no later than 12 months after publication of the original article. If the editor determines that the commentary meets the criteria described above, then it will be subject to the same process of peer review and the same editorial criteria and standards as any other manuscript. Commentaries may be no more than half the length of the original article, and replies may be no more than half the length of the commentary. A commentary and reply will be published together. Except under rare circumstances, there will be only one round of comment and reply. The title of a commentary should include a subtitle reflecting the actual title and year of publication of the article that is the focus of the comment.

The second type of commentary is initiated by the editor, who identifies an accepted article as one for which a commentary might be useful (e.g., controversial theoretical perspective or empirical findings; groundbreaking topic). The editor will invite one or more individuals to comment on the accepted article; and the author of the original piece is then invited to submit a reply or rebuttal to the comment. Comments and rebuttals go through the peer review and editorial process as described above. The original article is then published along with the comments and reply in chronological order.

Manuscript preparation guidelines

Manuscripts must be prepared according to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association using the 7th edition.

All APA requirements are important; the ones listed below are particularly noteworthy:

• Disclose all prior publications with this dataset in the cover letter (which is only seen by editors). 
• Use bias-free language.
• Double space the entire text and references, putting only one table or figure on a page at the end of the manuscript, using one-inch margins all around, and including a header and page numbers.  
• Minimize the use of acronyms so your manuscript is accessible to a wide audience.

All manuscripts that remain under consideration at Psychology of Violence will be asked to include the following:

• A structured abstract divided into four sections with the headings: Objective, method, results, and conclusions. The objective should clearly communicate the novel contribution of the manuscript. Do not, however, claim that "this is the first study ever to..." Such a claim cannot be substantiated. In the conclusion, please identify at least one specific implication and avoid boilerplate language such as "Implications will be discussed." Target length is no more than 250 words.
• 4 to 5 keywords for all manuscripts.
• A statement that clearly describes the study's purpose must be provided in the first 3 paragraphs of the paper.
• The introduction needs to end with numbered statements of hypotheses or research questions, and these need to be explicitly revisited in the results and discussion.
• Authors are expected to review the APA Style Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) and verify that they have included all relevant methodological information for the type of study they conducted, including effect sizes when they can be calculated.
• Number of items, response categories, alpha, and scoring need to be presented for all measures. Validity should be addressed.
• Sample size: Qualitative studies need to provide a rationale for the sample size based on their specific methodology. Quantitative studies need to include a formal power analysis that corresponds to the hypotheses and data analytic approach whenever possible; alternative methods used to determine the precision of parameter estimates should be used when power analyses are not appropriate for the data analytic technique. For both qualitative and quantitative studies, methodological citations should be provided to justify the technique used.
• The discussion needs separate subsections (in this order) for limitations, future research directions, and prevention, clinical, and policy implications. Regarding the implications subsection, at least one of the three types of implications listed above must be addressed and the heading should be modified to indicate those included (e.g., "Prevention and policy implications" or "Clinical implications").
• An honest assessment of the study's limitations is essential in the limitations subsection of the discussion. This section needs to describe the study's major methodological limitations and include a statement regarding the generalizability to other populations and contexts. The need to replicate exploratory or unexpected findings should be explicitly stated.

Per APA policy, authors presenting the results of randomized trials should rely on CONSORT guidelines .

Prospective authors are welcome to direct inquiries regarding these instructions, potential paper topics, journal policy, or manuscript preparation to the editor, Brad J. Bushman .

Additional instructions for all authors

Review APA's Journal Manuscript Preparation Guidelines before submitting your article.

If your manuscript was mask reviewed, please ensure that the final version for production includes a byline and full author note for typesetting.

Double-space all copy. Other formatting instructions, as well as instructions on preparing tables, figures, references, metrics, and abstracts, appear in the Manual . Additional guidance on APA Style is available on the APA Style website .

Below are additional instructions regarding the preparation of display equations, computer code, and tables.

Display equations

We strongly encourage you to use MathType (third-party software) or Equation Editor 3.0 (built into pre-2007 versions of Word) to construct your equations, rather than the equation support that is built into Word 2007 and Word 2010. Equations composed with the built-in Word 2007/Word 2010 equation support are converted to low-resolution graphics when they enter the production process and must be rekeyed by the typesetter, which may introduce errors.

To construct your equations with MathType or Equation Editor 3.0:

• Go to the Text section of the Insert tab and select Object.
• Select MathType or Equation Editor 3.0 in the drop-down menu.

If you have an equation that has already been produced using Microsoft Word 2007 or 2010 and you have access to the full version of MathType 6.5 or later, you can convert this equation to MathType by clicking on MathType Insert Equation. Copy the equation from Microsoft Word and paste it into the MathType box. Verify that your equation is correct, click File, and then click Update. Your equation has now been inserted into your Word file as a MathType Equation.

Use Equation Editor 3.0 or MathType only for equations or for formulas that cannot be produced as Word text using the Times or Symbol font.

Computer code

Because altering computer code in any way (e.g., indents, line spacing, line breaks, page breaks) during the typesetting process could alter its meaning, we treat computer code differently from the rest of your article in our production process. To that end, we request separate files for computer code.

In online supplemental material

We request that runnable source code be included as supplemental material to the article. For more information, visit Supplementing Your Article With Online Material .

In the text of the article

If you would like to include code in the text of your published manuscript, please submit a separate file with your code exactly as you want it to appear, using Courier New font with a type size of 8 points. We will make an image of each segment of code in your article that exceeds 40 characters in length. (Shorter snippets of code that appear in text will be typeset in Courier New and run in with the rest of the text.) If an appendix contains a mix of code and explanatory text, please submit a file that contains the entire appendix, with the code keyed in 8-point Courier New.

Use Word's insert table function when you create tables. Using spaces or tabs in your table will create problems when the table is typeset and may result in errors.

Academic writing and English language editing services

Authors who feel that their manuscript may benefit from additional academic writing or language editing support prior to submission are encouraged to seek out such services at their host institutions, engage with colleagues and subject matter experts, and/or consider several vendors that offer discounts to APA authors .

Please note that APA does not endorse or take responsibility for the service providers listed. It is strictly a referral service.

Use of such service is not mandatory for publication in an APA journal. Use of one or more of these services does not guarantee selection for peer review, manuscript acceptance, or preference for publication in any APA journal.

Submitting supplemental materials

APA can place supplemental materials online, available via the published article in the PsycArticles ® database. Please see Supplementing Your Article With Online Material for more details.

Abstract and keywords

Psychology of Violence uses structured abstracts divided into the following sections, with headings: objective, method, results, and conclusions. The objective should clearly communicate the novel contribution of this manuscript. The conclusions should identify at least one specific implication and avoid boilerplate language such as "Implications will be discussed." Target length is no more than 250 words.

Each manuscript needs five keywords for indexing. Please consider keywords that are common synonyms for the forms of violence addressed in your manuscript. For example, if your study is on "intimate partner violence," it may help some readers find your work if you list "domestic violence" as a keyword.

Public significance statements

Authors submitting manuscripts to Psychology of Violence are required to provide two to three brief sentences regarding the relevance or public health significance of their manuscript. This description should be included within the manuscript on the abstract/keywords page. It should be written in easy-to-understand language for members of the lay public.

To be maximally useful, these statements of public significance should not simply be sentences lifted directly from the manuscript. This statement supports efforts to increase the dissemination and usage of research findings by larger and more diverse audiences. In addition, they should be able to be translated into media-appropriate statements for use in press releases and on social media.

Authors may refer to the Guidance for Translational Abstracts and Public Significance Statements page for help writing their statement.

List references in alphabetical order. Each listed reference should be cited in text, and each text citation should be listed in the references section.

Examples of basic reference formats:

Journal article

McCauley, S. M., & Christiansen, M. H. (2019). Language learning as language use: A cross-linguistic model of child language development. Psychological Review , 126 (1), 1–51. https://doi.org/10.1037/rev0000126

Authored book

Brown, L. S. (2018). Feminist therapy (2nd ed.). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000092-000

Chapter in an edited book

Balsam, K. F., Martell, C. R., Jones. K. P., & Safren, S. A. (2019). Affirmative cognitive behavior therapy with sexual and gender minority people. In G. Y. Iwamasa & P. A. Hays (Eds.), Culturally responsive cognitive behavior therapy: Practice and supervision (2nd ed., pp. 287–314). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/0000119-012

Preferred formats for graphics files are TIFF and JPG, and preferred format for vector-based files is EPS. Graphics downloaded or saved from web pages are not acceptable for publication. Multipanel figures (i.e., figures with parts labeled a, b, c, d, etc.) should be assembled into one file. When possible, please place symbol legends below the figure instead of to the side.

• All color line art and halftones: 300 DPI
• Black and white line tone and gray halftone images: 600 DPI

Line weights

• Color (RGB, CMYK) images: 2 pixels
• Grayscale images: 4 pixels
• Stroke weight: 0.5 points

APA offers authors the option to publish their figures online in color without the costs associated with print publication of color figures.

The same caption will appear on both the online (color) and print (black and white) versions. To ensure that the figure can be understood in both formats, authors should add alternative wording (e.g., “the red (dark gray) bars represent”) as needed.

For authors who prefer their figures to be published in color both in print and online, original color figures can be printed in color at the editor's and publisher's discretion provided the author agrees to pay:

• $900 for one figure
• An additional $600 for the second figure
• An additional $450 for each subsequent figure

Permissions

Authors of accepted papers must obtain and provide to the editor on final acceptance all necessary permissions to reproduce in print and electronic form any copyrighted work, including test materials (or portions thereof), photographs, and other graphic images (including those used as stimuli in experiments).

On advice of counsel, APA may decline to publish any image whose copyright status is unknown.

• Download Permissions Alert Form (PDF, 13KB)

Open science badges

Articles are eligible for open science badges recognizing publicly available data, materials, and/or preregistered plans and analyses. These badges are awarded on a self-disclosure basis.

At submission, authors must confirm that criteria have been fulfilled in a  signed badge disclosure form (PDF, 42KB)  that must be submitted as supplemental material. If all criteria are met as confirmed by the editor, the form will then be published with the article as supplemental material.

Authors should also note their eligibility for the badge(s) in the cover letter.

For all badges, items must be made available on an open-access repository with a persistent identifier in a format that is time-stamped, immutable, and permanent. For the preregistered badge, this is an institutional registration system.

Data and materials must be made available under an open license allowing others to copy, share, and use the data, with attribution and copyright as applicable.

Available badges are:

Note that it may not be possible to preregister a study or to share data and materials. Applying for open science badges is optional.

Publication policies

For full details on publication policies, including use of Artificial Intelligence tools, please see APA Publishing Policies .

APA policy prohibits an author from submitting the same manuscript for concurrent consideration by two or more publications.

See also APA Journals ® Internet Posting Guidelines .

APA requires authors to reveal any possible conflict of interest in the conduct and reporting of research (e.g., financial interests in a test or procedure, funding by pharmaceutical companies for drug research).

• Download Full Disclosure of Interests Form (PDF, 41KB)

In light of changing patterns of scientific knowledge dissemination, APA requires authors to provide information on prior dissemination of the data and narrative interpretations of the data/research appearing in the manuscript (e.g., if some or all were presented at a conference or meeting, posted on a listserv, shared on a website, including academic social networks like ResearchGate, etc.). This information (2–4 sentences) must be provided as part of the author note.

Ethical Principles

It is a violation of APA Ethical Principles to publish "as original data, data that have been previously published" (Standard 8.13).

In addition, APA Ethical Principles specify that "after research results are published, psychologists do not withhold the data on which their conclusions are based from other competent professionals who seek to verify the substantive claims through reanalysis and who intend to use such data only for that purpose, provided that the confidentiality of the participants can be protected and unless legal rights concerning proprietary data preclude their release" (Standard 8.14).

APA expects authors to adhere to these standards. Specifically, APA expects authors to have their data available throughout the editorial review process and for at least 5 years after the date of publication.

Authors are required to state in writing that they have complied with APA ethical standards in the treatment of their sample, human or animal, or to describe the details of treatment.

• Download Certification of Compliance With APA Ethical Principles Form (PDF, 26KB)

The APA Ethics Office provides the full Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct electronically on its website in HTML, PDF, and Word format. You may also request a copy by emailing or calling the APA Ethics Office (202-336-5930). You may also read "Ethical Principles," December 1992, American Psychologist , Vol. 47, pp. 1597–1611.

Other information

See APA’s Publishing Policies page for more information on publication policies, including information on author contributorship and responsibilities of authors, author name changes after publication, the use of generative artificial intelligence, funder information and conflict-of-interest disclosures, duplicate publication, data publication and reuse, and preprints.

Visit the Journals Publishing Resource Center for more resources for writing, reviewing, and editing articles for publishing in APA journals.

Incoming (2025) editor

Brad J. Bushman, PhD The Ohio State University, United States of America

Incoming (2025) associate editors

Matt DeLisi, PhD Iowa State University, United States of America  

Ines Keygnaert, PhD Ghent University, Belgium

Miguel T. Villodas, PhD San Diego State University , United States of America  

Incoming (2025) senior consulting editors

Edward Alessi, PhD Rutgers University, United States of America

Christopher Barlett, PhD Kansas State University, United States of America

Laurent Bègue, PhD Université Grenoble Alpes, France

Massil Benbouriche, PhD Université de Lille, France

Henriette Bergstrøm, PhD University of Derby, United Kingdom

Nicola Bowes, PhD Cardiff Metropolitan University, United Kingdom

Enrique Chaux, PhD Universidad de los Andes, Colombia

David Chester, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, United States of America

Wendy Cukier, PhD Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

Ilse Derluyn, PhD Ghent University, Belgium

Nathan DeWall, PhD University of Kentucky, United States of America

Meagan Docherty, PhD Bowling Green State University, United States of America

Hedwig Eisenbarth, PhD Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand

Dorothy Espelage, PhD University of North Carolina, United States of America

Kostas A. Fanti, PhD University of Cyprus, Cyprus

Carlo Garofalo, PhD Università degli Studi di Perugia, Italy

Ángel Gómez Jiménez, PhD Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, Spain

Tobias Hecker, PhD Bielefeld University, Germany

Jennifer A. Livingston, PhD University at Buffalo, United States of America

Mirra N. Milla, PhD Universitas Indonesia, Indonesia

Laura Miller-Graff, PhD University of Notre Dame, United States of America

Sophia Moskalenko, PhD Georgia State University, United States of America

Lindsay Orchowski, PhD Brown University, United States of America

Daniel Romer, PhD University of Pennsylvania, United States of America

Karen Slade, PhD Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom

Zhaojun Teng, PhD Southwest University, China

Nicholas Thomson, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, United States of America

Carmen Vives-Cases, PhD University of Alicante, Spain

Incoming (2025) consulting editors

Erinn Acland, PhD Université de Montréal, Canada

Amarnath Amarasingam, PhD Queen’s University, Canada

Farida Anwar, PhD Åbo Akademi University, Finland

John Archer, PhD University of Central Lancashire, United Kingdom

Kathryn M. Bell, PhD Acadia University, Canada

Inti Brazil, PhD Radboud University, The Netherlands

Paul Boxer, PhD Rutgers University—Newark, United States of America

Kai Li Chung, PhD University of Reading Malaysia, Malaysia

Carlos Iván Orellana Calderón, PhD Universidad Don Bosco, El Salvador

Dewey Cornell, PhD University of Virginia , United States of America

Ashlee Curtis, PhD Deakin University, Australia

Sarah DeGue, PhD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States of America

Tom Denson, PhD University of New South Wales, Australia

Kelly P. Dillon, PhD Wittenberg University, United States of America

Bojana Dinić, PhD University of Novi Sad, Serbia

James Effiong, PhD University of Uyo, Nigeria

Deinera Exner-Cortens, PhD University of Calgary, Canada

Theresa Gannon, DPhil University of Kent, United Kingdom

Oluf Gøtzsche-Astrup, PhD Aarhus University, Denmark

Nicola (“Niki”) Graham-Kevan, PhD University of Central Lancashire,   United Kingdom

Tobias Greitemeyer, PhD Universität Innsbruck, Austria

Thomas Gumpel, PhD Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Jonathan Hall, PhD Uppsala University, Sweden

Muhammad M. Haj-Yahia, PhD Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

Nafees Hamid, PhD King's College London,  United Kingdom

Eddie Harmon-Jones, PhD University of New South Wales, Australia

David Hawes, PhD University of Sydney, Australia

Kathryn Holland, PhD University of Nebraska—Lincoln, United States of America

Ernest Jouriles, PhD Southern Methodist University, United States of America

Sandy Jung, PhD MacEwan University, Canada

Sophie Kjærvik, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, United States of America

Sander Koole, PhD Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Barbara Krahé, PhD University of Potsdam, Germany

Ulrike Krämer, PhD University of Lübeck, Germany

Dorottya Lantos, PhD University of Technology Sydney, Australia

Ljiljana B. Lazarevic, PhD Institute of Psychology, Serbia

Jill Lobbestael, PhD Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Tailson E. Mariano, PhD Universidade Católica de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil

Cecilia Martinez-Torteya, PhD University of Michigan , United States of America

Pam McAuslan, PhD University of Michigan—Dearborn, United States of America

Sarah McMahon, PhD Rutgers University, United States of America

André Melzer, PhD University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Franklin Moreno, PhD Temple University, United States of America

Christopher Murphy, PhD University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States of America

Roghieh Nooripour, PhD Alzahra University, Iran

Raymond W. Novaco, PhD University of California, Irvine, United States of America

Tochukwu Charles Orjiakor, PhD University of Nigeria, Nigeria

Dominic Parrott, PhD Georgia State University, United States of America

Carlos E. Pimentel, PhD Federal University of Paraíba , Brazil

Galina Portnoy, PhD Yale School of Medicine, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, United States of America

Joanna Rajchert, PhD Maria Grzegorzewska University, Poland

Joseph Richardson, PhD University of Maryland, United States of America

Daniel Rijo, PhD Universidade de Coimbra, Portugal

Paolo Riva, PhD Università degli Studi di Milano — Bicocca, Italy

Eva M. Romera, PhD Universidad de Córdoba, Spain

Reema Safadi, PhD University of Jordan, Jordan

Esteban Eugenio Esquivel Santoveña, PhD Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez, Mexico

Sebastian Scherr, PhD University of Augsburg, Germany

Aaron Sell, PhD Heidelberg University, United States of America

Ryan Shorey, PhD University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee, United States of America

Danique Smeijers, PhD Radboud University, The Netherlands

Terri Sullivan, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, United States of America

Elizabeth Summerell, PhD University of New South Wales, Australia

Jeff R. Temple, PhD University of Texas Medical Branch, United States of America

Martie P. Thompson, PhD Appalachian State University, United States of America

Tracy Vaillancourt, PhD University of Ottawa, Canada

Eduardo A. Vasquez, PhD University of Kent, United Kingdom

Anca Velicu, PhD Institute of Sociology Romania Academy, Romania

Irene Vitoroulis, PhD University of Ottawa, Canada

Ajwang' Warria, PhD University of Calgary, Canada

Samantha Wells, PhD Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Canada

Jacqueline Woerner, PhD University of Central Florida, United States of America

Anna Zajenkowska, PhD The University of Economics and Human Sciences in Warsaw, Poland

Shaoling Zhong, PhD Guangzhou Medical University, China

Outgoing editor

(handling invited revisions only in 2024)

Antonia Abbey, PhD Wayne State University, United States

Outgoing associate editors

David DiLillo, PhD University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States

Heather L. McCauley, ScD Michigan State University, United States

Miguel T. Villodas, PhD San Diego State University, United States

Outgoing senior consulting editors

Christina M. Dardis, PhD Towson University, United States

Emily Dworkin, PhD University of Washington, United States

Katie M. Edwards, PhD University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States

Jun Sung Hong, PhD Wayne State University, United States

Angela Jacques-Tiura, PhD Wayne State University, United States

Erika L. Kelley, PhD Case Western Reserve University, United States

Angie Kennedy, PhD Michigan State University, United States

Traci M. Kennedy, PhD University of Pittsburgh, United States

Julia M. Kobulsky, PhD Temple University, USA

Heather Littleton, PhD University of Colorado Colorado Springs, United States

Laura Miller-Graff, PhD University of Notre Dame, United States

Kathleen A. Parks, PhD University at Buffalo, United States

Zoë Peterson, PhD Indiana University Bloomington, United States

Dennis Reidy, PhD Georgia State University, United States

Scott Ronis, PhD University of New Brunswick, United States

Chiara Sabina, PhD University of Delaware, United States

Cynthia A. Stappenbeck, PhD Georgia State University, United States

David B. Sugarman, PhD Rhode Island College, United States

Rachel A. Wamser-Nanney, PhD University of Missouri St. Louis, United States

Susan H. Yoon, PhD Ohio State University, United States

Outgoing consulting editors

Craig Anderson, PhD Iowa State University, United States

Sarah Bacon, PhD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States

Victoria Banyard, PhD Rutgers University,  United States of America

Tricia Bent-Goodley, PhD Howard University, United States

Gerd Bohner, DPhil Bielefeld University, Germany

Paul Boxer, PhD Rutgers University, United States

Ernestine Briggs-King, PhD Duke University, United States

Brad Bushman, PhD Ohio State University, United States

Michele Cascardi, PhD William Patterson University, United States

Shannon D. Chaplo, PhD University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, United States

Ruby Charak, PhD The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, United States

Preeti Chauhan, PhD City University of New York, United States

Kimberly A. Crossman, PhD California State University, Monterey Bay, United States

Carlos A. Cuevas, PhD Northeastern University, United States

Leah Daigle, PhD Georgia State University, United States

Kelly Cue Davis, PhD Arizona State University, United States

Sarah DeGue, PhD Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Thomas Denson, PhD University of New South Wales Sydney, Australia

Christopher Eckhardt, PhD Purdue University, United States

Jeffrey L. Edleson, PhD University of California, Berkeley, United States

Deinera Exner-Cortens, PhD, MPH University of Calgary, Canada

Albert D. Farrell, PhD Virginia Commonwealth University, United States

William Flack, PhD Bucknell University, United States

Thomas Frissen, PhD Maastricht University, Netherlands

Maria Galano, PhD University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States

Carlo Garofalo, PhD University of Perugia, Italy

Rachel Garthe, PhD University of Illinois Urbana, United States

Christine Gidycz, PhD Ohio University, United States

Amanda K. Gilmore, PhD Georgia State University, United States

Lisa A. Goodman, PhD Boston College, United States

Sandra A. Graham-Bermann, PhD University of Michigan, United States

Melanie D. Hetzel-Riggin, PhD Pennsylvania State University Behrend, United States

Kathryn Holland, PhD University of Nebraska–Lincoln, United States

John Horgan, PhD Georgia State University, United States

Anna E. Jaffe, PhD University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States

Veronica E. Johnson, PhD City University of New York, United States

Wendi L. Johnson, PhD Oakland University, United States

Ernest Jouriles, PhD Southern Methodist University, United States

Kimberly Kamper-DeMarco, PhD Buffalo State College, United States

Brian TaeHyuk Keum, PhD University of California, Los Angeles, United States

Mary P. Koss, PhD University of Arizona, United States

Barbara Krahé, DPhil University of Potsdam, Germany

Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, PhD University of South Alabama, United States

Brendan Lantz, PhD Florida State University, United States

Robin Lewis, PhD Old Dominion University, United States

Jennifer A. Livingston, PhD University at Buffalo, United States

Elise C. Lopez, DrPH, MPH University of Arizona, United States

Katherine Lorenz, PhD California State University, Northridge, United States

Cecilia Martínez Torteya, PhD Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico

Pam McAuslan, PhD University of Michigan–Dearborn, United States

Michael McCloskey, PhD Temple University, United States

Ryon C. McDermott, PhD University of South Alabama, United States

Sarah McMahon, PhD Rutgers University, United States

Carrie Moylan, PhD Michigan State University, United States

Christopher Murphy, PhD University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States

Nora Noel, PhD University of North Carolina Wilmington, United States

Julia O'Connor, PhD University of Central Florida, United States

Lindsay Orchowski, PhD Brown University, United States

Lindsey L. Osterman, PhD Roanoke College, United States

Dominic Parrott, PhD Georgia State University, United States

David C. Pyrooz, PhD University of Colorado Boulder, United States

Dakari Quimby, PhD University of Southern California, United States

Callie Rennison, PhD University of Colorado, Denver, United States

Rebecca Schacht, PhD University of Maryland, Baltimore County, United States

Jillian Scheer, PhD Syracuse University, United States

Ryan Shorey, PhD University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, United States

Lorelei Simpson Rowe, PhD Alleghany Health Network, United States

Joel Sprunger, PhD University of Cincinnati, United States

Noelle M. St. Vil, PhD University at Buffalo, United States

Jeff R. Temple, PhD University of Texas Medical Branch, United States

Martie Thompson, PhD Clemson University, United States

Sarah E. Ullman, PhD University of Illinois Chicago, United States

Emily A. Waterman, PhD University of New Hampshire

Rhiana Wegner, PhD NORC at the University of Chicago, United States

Samantha Wells, PhD Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, London, Ontario, Canada

Jacqueline Woerner, PhD University of Central Florida, United States

Leila Wood, PhD University of Texas Medical Branch, Galvestone, United States

Nicole P. Yuan, PhD University of Arizona, United States

Abstracting and indexing services providing coverage of Psychology of Violence

• Cabell's Directory of Publishing Opportunities in Psychology
• Criminal Justice Abstracts
• Current Contents: Social & Behavioral Sciences
• Journal Citations Report: Social Sciences Edition
• Social Sciences Citation Index
• TOC Premier
• Violence & Abuse Abstracts

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 12, No. 4, July 2022. The goal of this special issue is to spotlight and encourage research that informs the development of effective policies and practices to reduce systemic violence and improve relationships between the police and the communities they serve.

Special issue of APA’s journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 11, No. 5, September 2021. This special issue consists of seven empirical and review articles that address sexual violence among marginalized populations including LGBQ+ individuals and Arab Americans; the role of factors at the macro/meso/exosystem levels in affecting sexual violence risk and recovery, including attitudes, laws, and environmental stressors; research assessing the prevalence of sexual violence in different global regions.

Special issue of APA’s Psychology of Violence, Vol. 11, No. 4, July 2021. This special issue is intended to spark greater interest in working to mitigate firearm violence and encourage researchers across scientific disciplines to collaboratively apply their theoretical perspectives and methodologies to reduce the devastating, but understudied, U.S. gun violence epidemic.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 8, No. 6, November 2018. Includes articles about violence and discrimination against racial, sexual, and religious minorities, as well as stigma, bullying, and mental illness.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 8, No. 3, May 2018. The articles highlight innovative research using a range of methods and approaches that are designed to get closer to several forms of violence as objects of analysis.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 7, No. 3, July 2017. The articles illustrate the range of European research reflecting the very different levels of gender equality, violence awareness, and policy and service development across the continent.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 6, No. 3, July 2016. The articles focus on the generalized effects of violence prevention and intervention, the processes whereby intervention exerts behavioral change, and the challenges of conducting rigorous research in violence-exposed populations.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 5, No. 4, October 2015. The articles showcase new ways of measuring aspects of resilient outcomes and protective factors, explore resilience in relation to a variety of forms of violence across the life span, and illustrate prevention and intervention efforts that promote resilience and may lead both to violence prevention as well as to effective intervention to promote recovery among victims.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 4, No. 4, October 2014. The articles include both conceptual and empirical studies and examine a range of methodological issues in researching violence, organized around three key challenges: defining constructs precisely, accurately capturing disclosures of violence, and diversifying measurement strategies.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 3, No. 4, October 2013. In helping to fill gaps in knowledge about the nature and processes by which violence develops, and how violence experiences affect adolescents, these articles as a group also offer direction for future research.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 3, No. 1, January 2013. Includes articles about cyber-aggression, victimization, and social information processing; perceived distress; differentiating cyberbullying from non-physical bullying; intimate partner violence; and stereotypes.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 2, No. 2, April 2012. Articles examine links between sexual and physical abuse, intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, community violence, and violent media.

Special issue of the APA journal Psychology of Violence, Vol. 1, No. 3, July 2011. Articles discuss interpersonal violence conceptualization, theoretical integration, modeling, and prevention and intervention.

Journal equity, diversity, and inclusion statement

Psychology of Violence recognizes that members of marginalized and minoritized groups experience extremely high levels of violence due to a host of legal, social, cultural, economic, and other structural factors. These marginalized and minoritized groups include (but are not limited to) women, individuals who are LGBTQIA2S+, individuals who are members of marginalized ethnic/racial groups, individuals who are low income, individuals with disabilities, individuals from religious minority groups, and individuals who are impacted by privilege and oppression at the intersection of their identities.

We are committed to reducing biases within violence research and ourselves. Psychology of Violence is also committed to recruiting a diverse editorial team and publishing articles authored by individuals from marginalized and minoritized groups. Psychology of Violence encourages scholarship that uses theoretical perspectives, study designs, study samples, and analytical methods that promote equity by representing diversity and inclusion of marginalized and minoritized groups in the United States and internationally. Authors are encouraged to consider system-level factors that influence individuals' behavior.

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• Data sharing and data availability statements (recommended)
• Sample justifications (required)

More information on this journal’s reporting standards is listed under the submission guidelines tab .

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How to Identify and Prevent School Violence

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Recognizing the Signs of School Violence

School violence refers to violence that takes place in a school setting. This includes violence on school property, on the way to or from school, and at school trips and events. It may be committed by students, teachers, or other members of the school staff; however, violence by fellow students is the most common.

An estimated 246 million children experience school violence every year; however, girls and gender non-conforming people are disproportionately affected.

"School violence can be anything that involves a real or implied threat—it can be verbal, sexual, or physical, and perpetrated with or without weapons. If someone is deliberately harming someone or acting in a way that leaves someone feeling threatened, that‘s school violence,” says Aimee Daramus , PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist.

This article explores the types, causes, and impact of school violence and suggests some steps that can help prevent it.

Types of School Violence

School violence can take many forms. These are some of the types of school violence:

• Physical violence , which includes any kind of physical aggression, the use of weapons, as well as criminal acts like theft or arson.
• Psychological violence , which includes emotional and verbal abuse . This may involve insulting, threatening, ignoring, isolating, rejecting, name-calling, humiliating, ridiculing, rumor-mongering, lying, or punishing another person.
• Sexual violence , which includes sexual harrassment, sexual intimidation, unwanted touching, sexual coercion, and rape .
• Bullying , which can take physical, psychological, or sexual forms and is characterized by repeated and intentional aggression toward another person.
• Cyberbullying , which includes sexual or psychological abuse by people connected through school on social media or other online platforms. This may involve posting false information, hurtful comments, malicious rumors, or embarrassing photos or videos online. Cyberbullying can also take the form of excluding someone from online groups or networks.

Causes of School Violence

There often isn’t a simple, straightforward reason why someone engages in school violence. A child may have been bullied or rejected by a peer, may be under a lot of academic pressure, or may be enacting something they’ve seen at home, in their neighborhood, on television, or in a video game.

These are some of the risk factors that can make a child more likely to commit school violence:

• Poor academic performance
• Prior history of violence
• Hyperactive or impulsive personality
• Mental health conditions
• Witnessing or being a victim of violence
• Alcohol, drug, or tobacco use
• Dysfunctional family dynamic
• Domestic violence or abuse
• Access to weapons
• Delinquent peers
• Poverty or high crime rates in the community

It’s important to note that the presence of these factors doesn’t necessarily mean that the child will engage in violent behavior.

Impact of School Violence

Below, Dr. Daramus explains how school violence can affect children who commit, experience, and witness it, as well as their parents.

Impact on Children Committing Violence

Children who have been victims of violence or exposed to it in some capacity sometimes believe that becoming violent is the only way they‘ll ever be safe.

When they commit violence, they may experience a sense of satisfaction when their emotional need for strength or safety is satisfied. That‘s short-lived however, because they start to fear punishment or retribution, which triggers anger that can sometimes lead to more violence if they’re scared of what might happen to them if they don’t protect themselves. 

Children need help to try and break the cycle; they need to understand that violence can be temporarily satisfying but that it leads to more problems.

Impact on Children Victimized by School Violence

Victims of school violence may get physically injured and experience cuts, scrapes, bruises, broken bones, gunshot wounds, concussions, physical disability, or death.

Emotionally speaking, the child might experience depression , anxiety, or rage. Their academic performance may suffer because it can be hard to focus in school when all you can think about is how to avoid being hurt again.

School violence is traumatic and can cause considerable psychological distress. Traumatic experiences can be difficult for adults too; however, when someone whose brain is not fully developed yet experiences trauma, especially if it’s over a long time, their brain can switch to survival mode, which can affect their attention, concentration, emotional control, and long-term health. 

According to a 2019 study, children who have experienced school violence are at risk for long-term mental and physical health conditions, including attachment disorders, substance abuse, obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and respiratory conditions.

The more adverse childhood experiences someone has, the greater the risk to their physical and mental health as an adult.

Impact on Children Who Witness School Violence

Children who witness school violence may feel guilty about seeing it and being too afraid to stop it. They may also feel threatened, and their brain may react in a similar way to a child who has faced school violence.

Additionally, when children experience or witness trauma , their basic beliefs about life and other people are often changed. They no longer believe that the world is safe, which can be damaging to their mental health.

For a child to be able to take care of themselves as they get older, they need to first feel safe and cared for. Learning to cope with threats is an advanced lesson that has to be built on a foundation of feeling safe and self-confident.

Children who have experienced or witnessed school violence can benefit from therapy, which can help them process the trauma, regulate their emotions, and learn coping skills to help them heal.

Impact on Parents

Parents react to school violence in all kinds of ways. Some parents encourage their children to bully others, believing that violence is strength. Some try to teach their children how to act in a way that won’t attract bullying or other violence, but that never works and it may teach the child to blame themselves for being bullied. 

Others are proactive and try to work with the school or challenge the school if necessary, to try and keep their child safe. 

It can be helpful to look out for warning signs of violence, which can include:

• Talking about or playing with weapons of any kind
• Harming pets or other animals
• Threatening or bullying others
• Talking about violence, violent movies, or violent games
• Speaking or acting aggressively

It’s important to report these signs to parents, teachers, or school authorities. The child may need help and support, and benefit from intervention .

Preventing School Violence

Dr. Daramus shares some steps that can help prevent school violence:

• Report it to the school: Report any hint of violent behavior to school authorities. Tips can be a huge help in fighting school violence. Many schools allow students to report tips anonymously.
• Inform adults: Children who witness or experience violence should keep telling adults (parents, teachers, and counselors) until someone does something. If an adult hears complaints about a specific child from multiple people, they may be able to protect other students and possibly help the child engaging in violence to learn different ways.
• Reach out to people: Reach out to children or other people at the school who seem to be angry or upset, or appear fascinated with violence. Reach out to any child, whether bullied, bullying, or neither, who seems to have anxiety, depression, or trouble managing emotions. Most of the time the child won’t be violent, but you’ll have helped them anyway by being supportive.

A Word From Verywell

School violence can be traumatic for everyone involved, particularly children. It’s important to take steps to prevent it because children who witness or experience school violence may suffer physical and mental health consequences that can persist well into adulthood.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Preventing school violence .

UNESCO. What you need to know about school violence and bullying .

UNESCO. School violence and bullying .

Nemours Foundation. School violence: what students can do .

Ehiri JE, Hitchcock LI, Ejere HO, Mytton JA. Primary prevention interventions for reducing school violence . Cochrane Database Syst Rev . 2017;2017(3):CD006347. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006347.pub2

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Understanding school violence .

Ferrara P, Franceschini G, Villani A, Corsello G. Physical, psychological and social impact of school violence on children . Italian Journal of Pediatrics . 2019;45(1):76. doi:10.1186/s13052-019-0669-z

By Sanjana Gupta Sanjana is a health writer and editor. Her work spans various health-related topics, including mental health, fitness, nutrition, and wellness.

Home / Essay Samples / Social Issues / Violence

Violence Essay Ideas

A violence essay addresses this highly damaging phenomenon, by analyzing its extent, its causes, the factors that aggravate it, as well as by looking for ways to increase awareness and find definitive solutions to this problem. Most of the time, such essays are focused on specific forms of violence, such as bullying, sexual violence, domestic violence, street violence, violence among incarcerated individuals, violence triggered by discrimination based on race, gender, religious confession, verbal and psychological abuse, especially with regard to children, and so on. Oftentimes, such essays contain first account evidence of abuse to portray the drama the victims are going through but also important statistics regarding the phenomenon or that assess the efficiency of counteracting measures.

Video Games and Violence: Debunking the Myth

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Bullying in Public and Private Schools

Bullying is a pervasive issue that affects students of all ages, backgrounds, and educational settings. It has serious consequences for the well-being and development of young individuals. This essay aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of bullying in both public and private schools, shedding light...

How to Stop Cyber Bullying: Effective Strategies

Cyber bullying, a harmful phenomenon in the digital age, demands proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals online. Addressing and stopping cyber bullying is not only a moral responsibility but also essential for creating a positive and inclusive online environment. In this...

Preventing Cyber Bullying: a Vital Endeavor

In today's digital age, the emergence of cyber bullying has raised significant concerns about the well-being and safety of individuals in the online sphere. As technology continues to shape the way we interact, preventing cyber bullying becomes not only an ethical responsibility but a crucial...

Cyber Bullying: Causes and Effects

Cyber bullying, a form of harassment that takes place in the digital realm, has emerged as a concerning issue with far-reaching implications. Enabled by technology, this harmful behavior can lead to severe emotional and psychological consequences for victims. In this essay, we will explore the...

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Tips to Stop Cyberbullying: Creating a Safer Online Environment

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The Journey of Self-discovery in "Long Way Down"

The novel "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds is a thought-provoking and impactful story that explores the cycle of violence and the consequences of revenge. The book follows Will, a fifteen-year-old boy who embarks on a life-altering elevator ride to seek justice for his brother's...

The Harmful Effects of Violent Video Games

Violent video games have become increasingly popular in today's digital age, but their influence on individuals, especially young minds, raises concerns about their impact on behavior and mental health. This essay discusses the potential harm caused by violent video games, examining how they can desensitize...

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