Running head: EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE IN COMMUNITIES ON SOCIALIZATION 1

Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Violence in Communities on the Socialization of Children

Shekinah Bergen

Fresno Pacific University

EFFECTS OF VIOLENCE IN COMMUNITIES ON SOCIALIZATION 2

Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Violence in Communities on the Socialization of Children

The long-term effects of children witnessing or being a victim of violence expand far

beyond the immediate implications. The community in which a child is raised in plays a vital

part in their socialization. In an article written by de Carvalho (2013) on Children’s perspectives

on disorder and violence in urban neighborhoods, she explains that children who are surrounded

by violence begin to normalize it and therefore see no immorality in being violent themselves

(2013). The de Carvalho explained the study that she and her team conducted in the low income

“slums” of Brazil. She explains that often times, the children living in these low-income

neighborhoods disliked their social standing and wanted to see improvement to their area. The

children were asked a series of questions including if their neighborhood had space for the

children to play, adequate lighting, what type of people lived around them, and what they have

experienced while living there (de Carvalho, M. L. 2013 pg. ). The majority of the children

explained that they often witnessed violence, both in the home and in the community. The de

Carvalho writes “The violent acts may occur frequently and come to be perceived as less serious

over time; they tend to be visible in all the neighborhoods, almost to the extent of a

‘normalization’ of violence.” (de Carvalho, M. L. 2013 pg 109).

One of the most troubling parts of this article is the fact that the children have only

experienced one type of life. They start out a life with a level of morality that eventually adapts

to their social construct, therefore causing things like violence and substance abuse to be

normalized. Children are a product of their environment. With the normalization of violence over

generations, there is a cycle of abuse created. “This ‘normalization’ strengthens the risk of

children’s devaluation of the seriousness and effects of violent acts and, not surprisingly, some

participate in it from a very young age.” (de Carvalho, M. L. 2013 pg 112). Children that are
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unable to witness a healthy and functioning relationship will be unable to recreate one in their

own lives.

In an article written by Page and Bretherton on Gender Differences in Stories of Violence

and Caring by Preschool Children in Post-Divorce Families: Implications for Social

Competence, the authors explain that “younger children have often been considered especially

vulnerable to the damaging effects of family stress and conflict because of their relatively limited

powers of comprehension and experience” (Page, T., & Bretherton, I. 2003). This is a

detrimental factor in a child’s developmental process. In relation to the previously mentioned

article referring to children normalizing violence, when children encounter or are witness to

traumatic situations, such a violence and divorce, they often develop an aggressive approach to

handling stressful situations. For example, if a child, who witnesses violence at home, gets toy

taken from them by a peer during play time, their natural and automatic response might be to

react in a violent manner. That violence has been normalized due to their home experience.

The authors also write “The ways in which children cope with severe stress has long been

conceptualized in terms of the externalizing-internalizing dichotomy, which corresponds to

aggressive and/or hyperactive behavior and anxious and/or depressed and withdrawn behavior,

respectively.” (Page, T., & Bretherton, I. 2003). We, as teachers, must consider the environment

that our students come from when we are analyzing the way that they play. But, like the authors

write, “Understanding young children’s experience of uncertainty, stress, and coping, from their

point of view, has long been a challenge for clinicians and researchers” (Page, T., & Bretherton,

I. 2003). Children often respond in what seems like unpredictable manners that we, as teachers,

can only hope to create a pattern out of in order to help the students comprehend and maneuver
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through life in a conducive manner. One over-arching assumption is that children who witness

violence and trauma then respond in a violent way.

One statement that remains true is that children learn by experience and observations.

Children who experience a productive and harmonious community will grow accustomed to that

environment. The inverse of that is a child that experiences a disruptive and violent community.

The effects of both types of communities are lifelong. In an article written by Renzaho and

Karantzas on the effects of parental perception of neighborhood deprivation and family

environment characteristics of pro-social behaviors on children, the authors write “Children from

healthily functioning families and of parents without any psychological distress exhibited greater

prosocial behaviors than those from poorly functioning families and of parents with mental

health problems.” (2010, pg. 405). Pro-social behavior is defined as “the child’s ability to

voluntarily provide support to another child without expecting reciprocity, display empathy and

perspective, provide care and share while demonstrating inclusiveness and fairness toward other

children.” (Renzaho, A. N., and Karantzas, G. 2010 pg. 405). A child is more likely to develop

pro-social behaviors when they experience said behaviors. This can lead to an altered form of

socialization where harsh words and self-preservation are normalized for a child and the

community they live in.

Parents play a key role in the child’s socialization. According to the research conducted

in the article, when a child does not develop a proper attachment to their parent, the child then

has the inability to trust others and develop a self-reliance attitude that can then affect their

ability to utilize pro-social behaviors. (Renzaho, A. N., and Karantzas, G. 2010 pg. 410). This

lack of empathy and attachment creates a cycle of negative socialization that effects both family
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and community. The community has influencing factors on how a child perceives and reacts to

the world.

In an article explaining the effects a violent community can play in aggression and social

cognition in elementary school children, “violence exposure may make it more difficult for

(children) to develop the regulatory mechanisms necessary to control their emotions Without

such emotional control, their risk for aggressive and antisocial behavior increases” (Guerra, N.

G., Huesmann, L. R., and Spindler, A. 2003 pg. 1561). A child who normalizes violence and

aggression and does not display pro-social behaviors is often referred to as a “bully” or have

“behavioral problems” and is treated as such. The fact that this child is just a product of their

environment and might never break the cycle of violence is troubling while evaluating the

environment of schools and communities.

The most effective way of preventing a child’s normalization of aggression would be to

limit the violence they are exposed to (Guerra, N. G., Huesmann, L. R., and Spindler, A. 2003

pg. 1574). A nearly impossible feat for families that live in urban and violent neighborhoods. A

decrease in a child’s aggression could directly affect their socialization skills and attitude

towards life and others in general. If a parent or guardian instills the fact that violence and

aggression is not acceptable, regardless of the community the child is a part of, the child can

develop a sense of altruism leading to them viewing violence as non-normative and harmful.

“Families that function positively and include parents who experience good mental health seem

to have a consistent positive affect on children’s prosocial tendencies.” (Renzaho, A. N., and

Karantzas, G. 2010 pg. 410). The community a child is raised in has a direct correlation to the

socialization, or lack thereof, and can promote or inhibit a healthy sense of self that a child

develops.
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I believe this research project is vital when teaching children who might have

behavioral issues. One main point I learned is that a violent child is simply a product of their

environment and it is not their fault. Children who have had a prolonged exposure to violence

and aggression then normalize that behavior and bring it into the schools that they attend. As the

teacher, we need to remember to evaluate the situation as a whole before deeming that child a

“problem”. The only way their behavior can be corrected is by modeling the way they should

react to negative and overwhelming situations. Children need to be guided in proper coping skills

and mechanisms. If the only example they receive of that guidance is in schools, then we, as

teachers, need to stay diligent in modeling that for them.

References

de Carvalho, M. L. (2013). Children’s perspectives on disorder and violence in urban

neighbourhoods. Childhood, 20(1), 98-114. doi:10.1177/0907568212447236

Guerra, N. G., Huesmann, L. R., & Spindler, A. (2003). Community violence exposure, social

cognition, and aggression among urban elementary school children. Child Development,

74(5), 1561-1576.

Page, T., & Bretherton, I. (2003). Gender Differences in Stories of Violence and Caring by

Preschool Children in Post-Divorce Families: Implications for Social Competence. Child

& Adolescent Social Work Journal, 20(6), 485.

Renzaho, A. N., and Karantzas, G. (2010). Effects of parental perception of neighbourhood

deprivation and family environment characteristics on pro-social behaviours among 4–12

year old children. Australian & New Zealand Journal Of Public Health, 34(4), 405-411.

doi:10.1111/j.1753-6405.2010.00574.x
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