THE 13 TYPES OF VIOLENCE AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS - GEOGRAFÍA - 2025

The most common types of violence are physical, psychological, emotional, verbal, sexual, spiritual, cultural, economic and work-related. Each one manifests itself in a particular way and has characteristic consequences.

Every day we see in the news all kinds of different forms of violent acts: men who kill their wives, terrorist attacks, robberies, destruction of urban furniture, bullying… Violence is part of our daily lives even if we don't want to.

Violence is an ambiguous concept that includes a multitude of variables, including the wide variety of moral codes that exist around the world. Depending on the society in which you find yourself and the culture that surrounds you, the behaviors considered acceptable will vary. Thus, what is considered violent or socially accepted will evolve along with the society in question.

For example, in the nineteenth century it was unthinkable to see a couple kissing and cuddling in the middle of the street, whereas today it is normal. Therefore, violence can be described according to the context and life experience of each one, although the World Health Organization (WHO) managed to give a generalized definition:

“Violence is the deliberate use of physical force or power, whether threatening or effective, against oneself, another person or a group or community, that causes or is highly likely to cause injury, death, psychological damage, developmental disorders or deprivation. "

This definition encompasses both violence towards others and oneself. It also goes beyond physical acts and includes threats and intimidation, psychological damage and parental neglect, among others.

The kinds of violence according to the form of aggression

Violence can be exercised in different ways. Some are more visible and direct, being likely that you will see it coming and have the possibility of doing something to avoid it. Others, however, can hide very well, are insidious, and quietly leave their mark.

Depending on the way in which the aggression or abuse is carried out, we can distinguish between:

1- Physical violence

Non-accidental action that causes physical harm or illness to a person, either to achieve something or for the mere fact of causing suffering.

It is usually easily identifiable by leaving signs such as bruises, fractures, alterations in the victim's state of health and, when it is too late, death.

2- Psychological violence

It is not a behavior in itself, but a heterogeneous set of behaviors with which a form of emotional aggression occurs. The psychological needs of the person are not taken into consideration, particularly those that have to do with interpersonal relationships and self-esteem.

The objective of this type of violence is to provoke such a defenseless state in the other that you can exercise all kinds of control over him. For this, rejection, insults and threats or the deprivation of social relationships, among other techniques, are used. In most cases, it is more harmful than physical violence.

3- Emotional violence

It is part of psychological violence. It occurs when things are said or done that make another person feel bad, undervalued, and even worthless.

4- Verbal violence

It is also used in psychological violence. It refers to the use of language, whether written or oral, with the intention of hurting someone.

5- Sexual violence

It is defined as any sexual activity (touching, innuendo…) between two people without the consent of one. It can occur between adults, from an adult to a minor, or even between minors.

In the case of minors, child pornography and prostitution are considered sexual abuse, while this issue, when it comes to adults, leads to a lot of debate.

6- spiritual or religious violence

It occurs when religious beliefs are used to manipulate, dominate or control another person. Here they could include certain destructive sectarian groups whose purpose is to control their followers.

7- Cultural violence

It occurs when a person is hurt because of practices that are part of their culture, religion, or tradition. For example, female genital mutilation or genital cutting performed on girls in countries in Africa and the Middle East.

8- Economic violence

It consists of the use of the economic resources of another person without their permission, harming them.

9- Negligence

It occurs when the basic physical needs and the safety of those dependent people (children, the elderly, people with functional diversity…) are not met by those who have the responsibility to take care of them.

10- Begging, corruption and labor exploitation

This occurs especially with minors, who are used to obtain economic benefits through sexual exploitation, theft, drug trafficking, etc.

Types of violence according to who does it

In this case, violent actions are differentiated not by the way in which they are carried out, but by where and by whom.

That is, if they have occurred between two people as occurs in domestic violence, for example; if it is a self-harm or if they are caused by an entire community as in the case of armed conflicts.

11- Interpersonal violence

They are violent acts committed by an individual or a small group of them, covering a wide range of behaviors that range from physical, sexual and psychological violence to deprivation and abandonment.

Some examples may be intimate partner violence, gender violence, bullying, child abuse… The various forms of interpersonal violence share many of the risk factors mentioned above.

Many are related to personal characteristics of individuals such as low or too high self-esteem or behavior problems. Drug and alcohol abuse should also be considered.

Others are the result of lived experiences such as the lack of emotional ties and support, early contact with situations of violence… Without forgetting the role of community and social factors such as poverty or inequality between the sexes.

12- Self-inflicted violence

Also known as suicide, it is perhaps the type of violence most accepted as such on a global level and, therefore, most stigmatized, that is, condemned for religious and cultural reasons. In fact, suicidal behavior is punishable by law in some countries.

Even today, despite its high mortality rates, it remains a taboo subject, which is difficult to recognize and address. Even being deliberately wrongly classified in official death certificates.

There are many and very varied stressful events that can increase the risk of self-harm, since the personal predisposition of the individual for it also influences.

Even so, the most common factors in this type of violence have been identified, such as poverty, the loss of a loved one, continuous family arguments, the breakdown of a relationship…

Furthermore, drug and alcohol abuse, a history of physical and / or sexual abuse in childhood, social isolation or mental problems are considered predisposing factors for suicide.

Above all, the person's feeling of hopelessness in life is taken into account.

13- Collective violence

We speak of collective violence when reference is made to the instrumental use of violence by groups against others, in order to achieve political, economic or social objectives.

Within this group we can identify armed conflicts within or between States, terrorism, organized crime and acts of violence perpetrated by States that violate human rights (genocide, repression…).

As with other forms of violence, these conflicts often bring negative health consequences such as mood changes, anxiety, alcohol abuse and even post-traumatic stress.

Infants and refugees are the groups most vulnerable to disease when these conflicts break out. Factors that pose a risk of violent conflict erupting collectively include:

• Absence of democratic processes and unequal access to power.
• Social inequalities.
• Control of valuable natural resources by a single group.
• Rapid demographic changes that overwhelm the state's ability to offer essential services and job opportunities.

What causes violent acts?

It is logical and understandable to want to know what causes violence in order to understand and prevent it. However, I regret to say that there is no direct relationship between a specific event and the use of violence as a response. Nor is it something specific that explains why some react aggressively and others don't.

It is not uncommon in these times to hear attacks on violent movies and video games as causes of aggressiveness in the youngest, leaving aside other more influential variables such as the family and social environment or the child's own characteristics.

In fact, the studies carried out on this issue have resorted to an ecological model as an explanation, alluding to the influence of different factors: biological, social, cultural, economic and political.

These factors act in the different environments in which people move, from the closest ones such as family, school or work; to the larger ones like the neighborhood, the city or even the country.

For example, although all social classes suffer from violence, research shows that people living in neighborhoods of lower socioeconomic status are those most at risk. In this case, social, political, economic and in many cases cultural factors are influencing the appearance of violence.

Next, I present some of the risk factors that have been found to favor violence:

-Personal risk factors

Personal risk factors are understood to be those characteristics of people that can trigger acts of violence both towards themselves and towards other people. For example:

• Having been a victim of abuse.
• Frequent mood disturbances.
• Hostility and the tendency to outbursts of anger.
• Aggressive or abusive behavior towards other people.
• Cruelty to animals.
• Consumption and abuse of alcohol or drugs.
• Previous suicide attempts.
• Tendency to blame others for their personal problems.
• Recent experience of humiliation, loss, or rejection.
• Problems for social relationships.

-Environmental risk factors

Environmental risk factors include those that involve the environment in which the person's life takes place, see family, school, work….

Risk factors in the family:

• Family problems.
• Alcohol or drug abuse by family members.
• Economic problems.
• Discrimination of a member of the family by the rest of the members.
• Role inequality in the home.
• Severe or inconsistent punishments.
• Lack of support from parents or other adults.
• Irresponsible parenting / parenting.
• Absence of parents.

Risk factors at school:

• Failure.
• Behavior problems
• Social isolation.
• Truancy.
• Suspensions or expulsions for misbehavior.
• Manifestations of anger or frustration.
• Risk factors at work: mainly influenced by organizational variables and working conditions.
• Type of employment contract: temporary contracts.
• Large and bureaucratic organizations.
• Authoritarian leadership style and weak or "laissez-faire" style.
• Labor role conflict.
• Work role ambiguity.
• High labor demands.
• Under control over the task.
• Perceived stress.
• Work overload.
• Inability to express ideas and opinions at work.
• Bad internal communication.

-Risk factors in the community

The conditions of the neighborhood or community in which you live can generate individual or collective violent acts. These risk factors include:

• Few financial resources.
• Lack of educational opportunities.
• Little access to cultural resources.
• Few job opportunities.
• Discrimination of groups of people.
• Few spaces for recreation and leisure.
• Tendency to vandalism.
• Access to drugs.

How can violence be prevented?

There is no single and simple solution to eliminate or prevent violent acts, since, as the ecological model proposes, it is necessary to act in many areas simultaneously.

Even so, many of the risk factors known to favor violence seem to clearly predict it, so it would be interesting to act on them.

Some proposals suggest that one could work with personal risk factors and adopt measures to promote healthy and civic behavior and attitudes in children and adolescents. As with those who have already become violent and run the risk of attacking themselves, who are often given up for lost.

Action could also be taken to create healthier and closer family environments, giving professional support to dysfunctional families in order to give them tools and train them to achieve a welcoming family environment, where just and necessary conflicts occur.

On the other hand, attention should be paid to the cultural, social and economic factors that contribute to violence, such as the inequality between rich and poor in accessing resources and the inequality between the sexes that results, among other things, in violence. of genre.

In summary, if a little reflection is done, the most effective way to prevent violence is education in respect for oneself and for others and that, clearly, is a task that global society has pending for all. levels.

References

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