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Violence In Adolescents

Firstly one can examine the environmental factors that this child was in. He had to be somewhat aware of his familial circumstances. That being his father in prison, it would not be accurate to say that it is the fault of the parents, but where is the responsibility of the parents? How can a six year old gain access to a weapon of this magnitude. A .32 calibre handgun is not something that a child can easily conceal. Initially one would look at the parents, and the environment of the child. How well was the child supervised? How long did he have the gun in his possession? How did he obtain the gun? Since the situation in which the bullet was discharged as intentional or accidental is not disclosed in the article it makes dissecting the intentions clouded and ambiguous. The child’s genetic temperament could have been inherited by someone in his family with a bad temper, regardless that factor is unknown. He could have been externalizing his aggression that no one had taken note of until it was too late.

Secondly, look at the time of the century in which he is living in. Violence is on the news, in video games, and part of daily conversation. Commercials on television, advertisements in the grocery store have open advertisements for violence. The acceptance of the degree of violence has evolved so much over the years. It seems as though there is no filter left to shield today’s children. The availability of legal weapons is ample and acceptable in the present day’s society. The exposure of violence was even a factor in his home.

Thirdly, the differentiation factor of fantasy to reality also can be taken into account. A child at 6 may not have the complete understanding of the permanence of death. They could potentially understand that with the gun comes pain, or some sort of negative reaction/ connotation. Most children learn that hitting another child is wrong during their preschool years. He could have seen shooting the gun as somewhat of a video game. At...