Discuss predictors of youth violence

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Recall from Chapter 4 the myriad risk factors for delinquency and adult criminality, such as early aggressive behavior and exposure to violence. Other predictors of violence are described by the American Psychological Association (n.d., 6): "Social forces such as prejudice, economic inequality and attitudes toward violence in the mainstream American culture interact with the influences of early childhood to foster the expression of violence.".

The APA describes several developmental experiences that violent youths frequently
share (n.d., 21): Youths at greatest risk of becoming extremely aggressive and violent tend to share common experiences that appear to place them on a "trajectory toward violence.". These youths tend to have experienced weak bonding to caretakers in infancy and ineffective parenting techniques, including lack of supervision, inconsistent discipline, highly punitive or abusive treatment, and failure to reinforce positive, pro social behavior. These developmental deficits, in turn, appear to lead to poor peer relations and high levels of aggressiveness.