Theories of Violence

Abstract

The current study examined the identity and interest-group theories in the context of domestic violence and hate crimes. Identity and the roles with which people define themselves, especially if the roles are violent in nature, can lead to elevated levels of domestic violence. Interest-group theory argues that by placing groups with different norms and values against each other, violence, especially visible in hate crimes, will reach elevated levels. In addition, counter-violence methods were discussed in regard to both theories that have been mentioned. For counter-violence, strategies and policy are two effective measures to reduce these types of violence. Through this discussion, it will be shown that violence is a learned behavior and something that can be controlled by alleviating factors such as negative labels or negative socialization involved in these theories.