Youth violence.

Abstract

Many Americans literally fear for their lives on the streets, at home, at work, and at school. This fear is rooted in fact: 24,526 persons were victims of homicide in 1993 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1995); the National Crime Survey found that an estimated 6.5 million violent crimes occurred in 1992, not including homicide (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 1994). The United States experiences more violence than any other industrialized nation; homicide rates are far higher in this country than in any other industrialized nation (8.3 per 100,000 versus rates of about 1 to 2 in most European countries, as surveyed by the World Health Organization in the 1980s). Rates of other violent crimes are also substantially higher (more so the more serious the offense; Reiss & Roth, 1993a). There is a common perception that the rate of violent crime is steadily increasing; however, nationally this is not the case-the incidence of homicidewas actually higher in the 1930s and 1970s. But in the largest U.S. cities, total violent crime has almost doubled since 1973 (Reiss & Roth, 1993a).Violence perpetrated by and against youth is a particularly urgent social concern. The risk of victimization by violent crime peaks for both men and women between the ages 16 and 19 (Reiss & Roth, 1993a).Homicide is the leading cause of death for African American youth both male and female (American Psychological Association [APA], 1993). APA also reported that, in a study of first and second grade students in Wash-75

A Dissertation on African American Male Youth Violence: "Trying to Kill the Part of You that Isn’t Loved"

“…In a similar vein, a snide remark that might otherwise be viewed as trivial may lead to an "honor contest" where no party backs down until someone is injured, (p. 100) Mattaini, Twyman, Chin, and Lee (1996) (Chestang, 1972).…”

“…This system cannot be explained by any single theoretical model alone, but is best understood by combining traditional and contemporary theories of human behavior into one comprehensive explanatory framework, and revealing their interrelationships. Mattaini, Twyman, Chin, and Lee (1996) defined violent behaviors among youth as having multiple motivators described as "multiple response classes." The researchers stated, "the topography of violent acts varies tremendously (e.g., threats, physical attack, the use o f weapons, state-sponsored terrorism)" (p. 79).…”

“…This pattern of arranging self-defeating contingencies and behavior is consistent with ideas advanced by Mattaini and Thyer (1996). Mattaini, Twyman, Chin, and Lee (1996) A third class of violent behavior that results from rage includes a biological component. In this instance, the African American male youth offender experiences the same antecedents as stated in class two explanation but also possesses a type of rage which serves as the motivating condition.…”

“…To further support the need for more research in this area Mattaini, Twyman, Chin, and Lee (1996) sounded a call to action citing the American Psychological Association standard as a basis for judging the merits and relevance o f any attempt to establish effective interventions with violent youth:…”

The Science of Sharing Power: Native American Thought and Behavior Analysis

“…strategy is constructional. Rather than discouraging and punishing undesirable behavior, it emphasizes the shaping and maintenance of four clusters of positive practices in organizational cultures which are inconsistent with violence and coercion, and are important to increasing the incidence of desirable scenes (Mattaini, Twyman, Chin, & Lee, 1996). The four core practices, each of which has considerable empirical support, are:…”