Both glamorizing and demonizing violence help us avoid having to understand the violent mind. We should enter the violent person’s subjective world, not just in order to be able to offer treatment, but also to anticipate the nature of the risks they embody both to themselves and to society. ~ Peter Fonagy, “Towards a Developmental… Read more »
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As a therapist, I want to help survivors of dating violence, domestic violence, and abusive relationships recover their sense of safety and self-fulfillment in life. And I want to do more. I want more people to know how grave the damage is to survivors of abuse and sexual assault. I want to see more action… Read more »
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Years ago, when I was in the process of creating a violence assessment scale, I visited a series of high-security prisons to interview men found guilty of murder and other violent crimes. As I sat down with each inmate, the first question I always asked was, “How did you come to be a violent person?”… Read more »
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Watch an exerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino talks about a common communication gap between adolescent girls and their parents. Dr. James Garbarino: I think one of the common themes in the lives of girls who get hurt by peers is this code of silence. You know, there’s a… Read more »
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Watch an excerpt from PsychAlive’s exclusive interview with Dr. James Garbarino. Dr. James Garbarino discusses the correlation in violence between the sexes. I published a book, Lost Boys, in 1999. The subtitle is, “Why our Sons are Growing More Violent – What we can do about it.” And almost immediately, people kept saying, “Well, what… Read more »
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In the wake of the Newtown, Connecticut massacre, we take pause and try to make sense of a senseless act. Unfortunately, mass murder has become all too frequent in recent years. A report by Mother Jones showed, “since 1982, there have been at least 62 mass murders carried out with firearms across the country, with… Read more »
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Seeing an image of a violent adult, it’s hard to imagine the innocent baby he or she once was. Is there such thing as being born violent? Are there really “bad seeds” when it comes to human life? Like so many qualities, violence involves a real interaction between genetics and environment. We may not be… Read more »
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The tragedy in Aurora, Colorado was an extreme act of senseless violence that truly shook our nation. When traumatic events like these take place, a ripple of grief, shock and fear spreads to individuals who are both directly and indirectly impacted. For those of us who live far from Aurora, reactions range from a deep… Read more »
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Understanding, preventing, and effectively treating violence Seeing an image of a violent adult, it’s hard to imagine the innocent baby they once were. Is there such thing as being born violent? Are there really “bad seeds” when it comes to a human life? Like so many qualities, violence involves a real interaction between genetics and… Read more »
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The tragic mass shooting that occurred in Aurora, Colorado just after midnight on Friday, July 20th, left at least 12 people dead, 59 people wounded, and millions of people stunned as to what could possibly drive a person to commit such a violent act. With no motive, we are left to wonder why James Holmes,… Read more »
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