Is Violence Taught, Inherited or Shaped by Trauma?

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Violence is often seen as an aggressive response to strong emotions such as anger, hatred or devastation. It is an outburst of emotions that have been either buried or occurred at the moment.

But the real question is, are people born with violence, or is it taught by society through experiences, environment or conditioning? Can the repeated exposure to abuse, neglect or humiliation lead to violence?

To start off, Violence is often assumed to be a result of experiences or the environment one grows up in, not something one is born with.

On the other hand, trauma deeply affects mental and emotional stability, which creates psychological warfare. As a result, some individuals often resort to violence as a coping mechanism, becoming a “fight” response toward years of pain, abuse, neglect and humiliation. For some individuals shaped by trauma, violence can become a false sense of control when every other aspect of life feels uncertain, painful, or powerless.

But this raises another difficult question,

“Can violence truly be justified simply because it is rooted in trauma?”

The answer is no. Understanding the roots of violence is important, but explanation and justification are two very different concepts. Trauma may explain why someone resorts to violence, but it does not justify the harm caused to others. The consequences experienced by victims are real and cannot be excused on moral grounds.

At the same time, recognising trauma as a contributing factor to violence can make society approach it with a deeper psychological understanding rather than viewing it through a purely ‘evil’ lens. It highlights the importance of mental health support and emotional rehabilitation in breaking cycles of violence.

A question to reflect on,

Why is violence often tolerated or justified in many households while mental health support is ignored or stigmatised?

MBH/PS

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“Violence is learned, healing is needed.”

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The more the people silently accept violence the worse it gets. No form of violence-physical, mental or emotional should be accepted in any form.

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Violence in many households is often normalised through generations,culture ,fear,and silence .at the same time mental health is seen as weakness or something to hide.And no one actually realises they are mentally being affected.

In some families they see voilence as discipline.
And more of all this, marriage is seen as something to protect at all cost . The emotional attachment, family pressure,children, mainly the social reputation, and the belief that love means adjusting often make people ignore or justify violence.

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What I can talk about is the Indian scenario, Indian households are rooted deeply in culture and traditions. Conflicts or violence inside a family is always hushed up / pacified. Violence or abuse that happens inside the household is often resolved among family members in the supervision of the elders . Everyone advices that

" Family is above everything"

" Stick together no matter what "

But at what cost ? There is no awareness about how traumatizing abuse and violence is or it’s toll on physical and mental health. People are conditioned to adjust , adapt and hold onto situations/ relationships no matter how toxic they turn.

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very impactful topic, i can relate to this. Violence is still tolerated and justified in indian household. It’s time we should change this.

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Violence is often normalized as “discipline” or “culture” and gives immediate control, while mental health is invisible, misunderstood, and seen as weakness. People fear judgment for therapy but find social cover for anger.

Stigma and lack of education keeps mental health ignored. tradition and power dynamics keep violence tolerated.

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A very thought-provoking post. Trauma and environment can influence a person deeply, but I agree that understanding the root cause should never mean justifying violence. Conversations around mental health and emotional support are definitely needed more in society.

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Rightly said. I think people have started to realise that violence is not a “form of love” and have started to avoid/end such relationships. Thanks to social media for explaining the red flags one must look for.

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What I believe is nobody even cared to work on this issue. Even after suffering from the repercussions of the domestic violence at home. Though everyone knows, all the values and solving problems within the family exists in India. Very handful of people dared to acknowledge this as a problem and took a stand for themselves. Not to forget the majority of reasons to continue in DV cycle is what will people say, we stayed for our kids. Those kids are suffering from PTSD now. Some of them have violence tendency, and Long term impaired reactions to tesion and stress. Lack of awareness, societal pressure and shaming has been the biggest issue in this. Let alone even considering the mental health as integral part of health, it wasn’t even considered at all. Recently, people has started realising how important it is, for living a whole life. Though Breaking through the cycle of Domestic Violence is not easy as it seems. But relatively people are more aware compared to previous years.

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The violence is not herited it is totally taught by the society. It is normalised in our society due to our culture and Norms of the society. Where hitting, shouting, and torture are used for discipline. Many people can recognize physical injuries but no one can see the emotional damage

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No matter how much awareness spreads .. I don’t think domestic violence will disappear, there is no individual who thinks to protect their own mental health… marriages are build up that way in this society. They must realise abuse is not love ,silence is not healing,and suffering should not be accepted as fate .

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Violence is a choice; raising one’s voice against it is a need

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And thanks to the mainstream media and movies for creating content that still glorifies toxic relationships and abuse ( PUN INTENDED!!!)

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This is a powerful perspective. I agree that while trauma can shape behaviour and even push someone toward violence, it should never justify harming others. Understanding the root causes is important—not to excuse, but to prevent. A more empathetic and mentally aware society can help break this cycle before it continues.

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Thought-provoking and well-balanced discussion.

Understanding trauma is important, but accountability and mental health support both matter equally.

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Absolutely

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Very well said! Violence should never be ignored.

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Absolutely! Violence has become normalized due to family dynamics and the need to keep “the family together.” Many ignore violence and claim it as a form of discipline. But all it does is, instill trauma and fear to many especially children.

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Either its due to past trauma or it is inherited, violence should not be accepted, nor done. And i think after certain age you know the difference between right and wrong , either it is past trauma, it can be controlled or cured through therapy, people should work on themselves.