Essay: Controlling School Violence

Sample Essay

Words 1,320

A common and simplistic solution that might come to the mind right away is the banning of all guns. Unfortunately, this theory only targets gun violence and leaves out all the other types of violence present in schools starting from bullying all the way to physical fights and rape. To reach a proper solution it is vital to discover why violence occurs in the first place.

Since gun violence occurs rarely and less frequently compared to everyday bullying that is violent and can lead to highly violent behavior in the future it is necessary to tackle the issue of bullying first. A study in a Swedish schooled revealed that adolescents feel that are bullied because they do not fit in with the status quo. Different appearances, cultural or religious backgrounds or behavioral patterns attract bullies. The same adolescents also believe that the bullying stops generally because the bully moves on to another target, the person being bullied stands up for him or her self and if a an adult intervenes in the situation. The study also reveals that the person who does the bullying usually has psychological problems, trouble with the family, low self-esteem, tries to fit in to be popular or does it aimlessly because of peer pressure or being bullied first. (Frisén, Jonsson, and Persson, 2007)

Having understood the reasons behind why certain acts of violence take place a solution can be provided. “To change the behavior of appetitive, self-serving individuals, those individuals must be convinced that a desired change is in their own best interest. Thus, counseling interventions to arrest the proactive aggression of bullies must convince the bullies that the personal benefit of their aggression is outweighed by both its negative consequences and the tangible benefits of pro-social behavior.” (Cited in McAdams and Schmidt, 2007) McAdams and Schmidt believe there are seven recommendations that can serve as a solution to the violence of bullying in school and dealing with tactics that offenders usually use to justify their actions.

The first recommendation they give is for counselors to clearly define what kind of behavior they expect from the students. The consequences of unwanted behavior should also be defined and must be dire enough that they minimize the chances of the unwanted behavior occurring in the first place. Also there should not be any loopholes that the student can easily use to his or her benefit. The counselor’s job should be to help the students understand the kind of consequences they will face and the downward spiraling affect of these negative consequences on their future along with what the pro’s of complying with the standards of behavior. (McAdams and Schmidt, 2007)

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