Violence in the shadows

[coberst]

Violence in the shadows

There are various forms of violence; science categorizes them by the human unconscious motivation.

Playful violence is not motivated by hate or the urge to destroy but in the pursuit of displaying skill. However, there is often unconscious aggression and destructiveness hidden behind the explicit logic of the game.

Reactive violence is that which is employed in defense of life, freedom or dignity. It is rooted in fear, which can be imagined or real, it can be conscious or unconscious. This form of violence is in the service of life and not destruction. It implies certain proportionality between means and end.

Often the perceived threat is a result of outside manipulation by political or religious leaders. Reactive violence is often that which is vigorously defended as being necessary. We do not want to be facing the possibility that our violence is without reason. We always want to be confident that we are independent thinkers capable of distinguishing truth from fiction. We vehemently deny any hint of having been manipulated into violence by our leaders.

Frustration is often the cause for reactive violence. Also this form of violence can be induced as a result of envy and jealousy.

Revengeful violence induced by revenge is reaction to something already having happened. The strength of the revenge motive is in “inverse proportion to the strength and productiveness of a group or of an individual.” The impotent individual has but one recourse for reestablishing his lost self-esteem, “an eye for an eye”. The person who lives productively is not driven to such extremes; s/he can easily forget such insults because living productively provides immunity against the emotion of revenge.

“Psychoanalytic material demonstrates that the mature, productive person is less motivated by the desire for revenge than the neurotic person who has difficulties in living independently and fully, and who is often prone to stake his whole existence on the wish for revenge.”

A shattering of faith is a motive for revengeful violence, which often occurs in the life of a child. The infant and developing child starts life often with a strong sense of faith in the mother’s warmth and care. This can express it self with any and all relatives, but this faith is often shattered at an early age. This faith in life can be harmed by what we might think of as small things such as the death of a friend or pet. We might consider such matters to be the common disillusionments of life but, to the child, what matters is the sharpness and severity of the particular disappointment.

Quotes from “The Heart of Man”—Erich Fromm

[Tnerb]

Kind of nice, still not deep enough co
There is a lot of literature out there that explains these things. I like your title.

[Baron Max]

How 'bout the violence of greed? Paid, civilian murderers/killers who do violence only as a way to make money? You didn't list that kind of violence ....why?

Baron Max

[glaucon]

And let's not forget the violence of ignorance.

You know, like cruising through SciForums and creating threads that do nothing but quote others, spouting their thoughts whilst doing nothing to express one's own point of view.....

[Grantywanty]

How 'bout the violence of greed? Paid, civilian murderers/killers who do violence only as a way to make money? You didn't list that kind of violence ....why?

Baron Max

What did you mean here? I actually like the door you are opening. But I am not sure what you mean by this.

[Baron Max]

What did you mean here? I actually like the door you are opening. But I am not sure what you mean by this.

The original post said: "There are various forms of violence; science categorizes them by the human unconscious motivation." He then listed the various forms of violence ....but he did NOT list "paid assassination". So I'm wondering whether we should believe anything of the original post, or be selective in what we believe?

Baron Max

[Grantywanty]

The original post said: "There are various forms of violence; science categorizes them by the human unconscious motivation." He then listed the various forms of violence ....but he did NOT list "paid assassination". So I'm wondering whether we should believe anything of the original post, or be selective in what we believe?

Baron Max

Good point. What is history if one eliminates violence for profit. Assassins being the lone wolves of this type of violence.