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Development Topics
How Juvenile Violence Begins
Spiritual Emptiness
One of the shared characteristics of violent juvenile offenders, according to
Garbarino, is what he refers to as a "crisis of meaninglessness." Because
of this spiritual vacuum, kids live with the simple creed, "I am born; I
live; I die." At best, the only value that many young boys receive from the
culture at large is materialism or the pursuit of physical pleasure. The understood
purpose for existence is the accumulation of "things."
Lack of meaning plays an important role in the lives of violent juveniles.
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This, says Garbarino, is not enough to anchor young people. This lack of meaning
leads to despair and plays an important role in the lives of violent juveniles.
Without a sense that their lives have some higher purpose, which is predominantly
grounded in religious faith, these young people see no point in restraining
offensive or violent behavior.1
Psychologist Andrew Weaver at the University of Hawaii has reviewed the evidence
linking religious and spiritual experience to adolescent behavior and development,
and has found that this experience does help to buffer children from the cultural
and social poisons of modern life.2
Weaver reviewed research in major research
journals dealing with adolescent issues and found many studies documenting the
fact that spirituality exerts an anchoring affect on kids. Religious belief
among kids results in characteristics often found among violent juvenile offenders:
less depression
better response to trauma
less substance abuse
Religious faith can give young people a sense of hope and a higher purpose in
life beyond materialism.
According to Garbarino, ". . . with neither hope nor a sense of purpose, troubled boys are psychologically adrift and are
prone to seek any harbor in their storm of alienation and fear."
These are the boys who are drawn to nihilism, Satanism, and all the other 'isms' of the dark
side."3 This "dark side" reportedly was very much a part of the
lives of the Columbine killers in April, 1999 as well as other violent juveniles who have
made headlines in the past several years.4 It has included everything from immersion in violent movies and video games to actually practicing animal sacrifice.
This brings us to a key issue in the discussion of juvenile violence. Any discussion
about the "roots" of violence must address the question of whether
violent behavior is caused by outside forces, such as social or peer pressure,
or by forces "within" a person — what is often referred to as "human
nature." Does "evil" or, in the case of topic at hand, violent
behavior, come from something outside of a person or does it emanate from within
a person?
—John C. Thomas
Endnotes:
1Dr. James Garbarino, Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, (New York: The Free Press), 1999. pp. 154-155.
2Andrew Weaver, "An Analysis of Research on Religious and Spiritual Variables in Three Major Mental Health Nursing Journals," 1991-1995. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 19(3), pp. 263-276. See also L.S. Wright, "Church Attendance, Meaningfulness of Religion, and Depressive Symptomatology among Adolescents, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 22(5), pp. 559-568.
3Dr. James Garbarino, Lost Boys: Why Our Sons Turn Violent and How We Can Save Them, (New York: The Free Press), 1999. p. 157.
4Ann Imse, "Killers' Double Life Fooled Many," Denver Rocky Mountain News, April 25, 1999, p. 24A.
Adapted from "The Root Causes of Juvenile Violence."
Copyright © 1999 Focus on the Family.
All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
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