Name
Institution
Most children are exposed to violent environments including abuse, crime, and violent families in the family, educational institutions and the society. Most of these children experience violent acts exceeding one. The exposure to violence has a substantial impact on the children as they develop their relationships in childhood and later in adulthood. Children’s exposure to violence is linked to long-term psychological, physical, and emotional harm (Jencks & Burton, 2013). Additionally, such children have a higher probability to abuse alcohol and other drugs, post-traumatic disorders, and anxiety; have problems or fail in school. In this paper, I will argue that the environment that a kid is raised in can lead to violent/delinquent behavior and gang violence.
Theories linking violence exposure to violent/delinquent behavior and gang violence
According to social …show more content…
Relational and overt aggression are outstanding among children exposed with violence. Overt aggression can be classified as physical and verbal actions aimed at causing harm. Further, relational aggression can be explained as acts aimed at damaging another children’s relationship with a friend or peer group. Exposure to violence in children is a great forecaster of aggression. Children subjected to violence in the environment may take up aggression to escape victimization and acquire a space for themselves, where violence is common, and aggressive behaviour is inevitable to survive (Maschi, 2006). The finding from these research aligns with ideas from the social learning theory, which argue that exposure to violence can increase aggression. Further, Physiological theorists suggest that children who experience violence encounter arousal leading to cause aggressive