Violence in the shadows

Violence in the shadows

There are various forms of violence; science categorizes them by the human unconscious motivation.

Playful violence is not motivated by hate or the urge to destroy but in the pursuit of displaying skill. However, there is often unconscious aggression and destructiveness hidden behind the explicit logic of the game.

Reactive violence is that which is employed in defense of life, freedom or dignity. It is rooted in fear, which can be imagined or real, it can be conscious or unconscious. This form of violence is in the service of life and not destruction. It implies certain proportionality between means and end.

Often the perceived threat is a result of outside manipulation by political or religious leaders. Reactive violence is often that which is vigorously defended as being necessary. We do not want to be facing the possibility that our violence is without reason. We always want to be confident that we are independent thinkers capable of distinguishing truth from fiction. We vehemently deny any hint of having been manipulated into violence by our leaders.

Frustration is often the cause for reactive violence. Also this form of violence can be induced as a result of envy and jealousy.

Revengeful violence induced by revenge is reaction to something already having happened. The strength of the revenge motive is in "inverse proportion to the strength and productiveness of a group or of an individual." The impotent individual has but one recourse for reestablishing his lost self-esteem, "an eye for an eye". The person who lives productively is not driven to such extremes; s/he can easily forget such insults because living productively provides immunity against the emotion of revenge.

"Psychoanalytic material demonstrates that the mature, productive person is less motivated by the desire for revenge than the neurotic person who has difficulties in living independently and fully, and who is often prone to stake his whole existence on the wish for revenge."