Explanation
Violence refers to actions involving physical force, coercion, intimidation, or psychological harm directed against individuals, groups, or social institutions. Violence may be interpersonal, collective, symbolic, structural, or institutional.
Sociologists and criminologists distinguish between different forms of violence, including:
- physical violence,
- sexual violence,
- psychological violence,
- domestic violence,
- collective violence,
- state violence,
- and structural violence.
Violence is shaped by social, cultural, economic, and political conditions. Researchers examine how violence relates to inequality, masculinity, power, social exclusion, identity conflicts, and socialization processes.
In criminology, violence is studied through many theoretical perspectives, including:
- subcultural theories,
- strain theories,
- cultural criminology,
- control theories,
- and feminist criminology.
Contemporary research increasingly examines violence in digital environments, extremist movements, online communities, and mediated forms of aggression.
Theoretical Reference
Violence is associated with conflict theory, feminist criminology, cultural criminology, masculinity studies, strain theory, and critical sociology.