Violence in its different forms is prevalent in the present communities. The most common manifestations of such behavior which have been witnessed include sexual assaults, homicides, terrorism, domestic aggression, and bullying in schools and colleges. Different theories have been put forward to explain the phenomenon but the most common explanation used by sociologists is the ‘spillover theory’ of the emergence of violence. This conjecture is important as it explains the link between societal behavior and the factors triggering cruel acts.
According to the proponents of spillover theory, the concept behind the supposition is that the more a society approves aggression in such instances as war, capital retribution, or justifiable executions, the more likely cruelty will be demonstrated. To support their claim, the advocates of the theory argue that capital punishment has worked to increase the rates of felonies like murder (Alvarez & Batchman, 2016). Additionally, it is argued that the execution denigrates life, and a lesson that can be learned is that it is morally correct to kill offenders in the community (Alvarez & Batchman, 2016). Besides, the inter-country wars have been cited as one of the causes of brutality within nations’ populace. Moreover, Alvarez and Batchman (2016) argue that physical punishment in children tends to awaken aggression in them as they grow into adulthood. Evidently, this sociological explanation provides clear arguments concerning why publicly approved use of cruelty will automatically spread to other circles of life.
In conclusion, sociology provides an elaborate explanation for the occurrence of aggression in society. The proposition that permitted the use of violence will transfer to other societal spheres is evidentially justifiable. In essence, in terms of the sociological explanation of violence is that, if society permits cruel acts like capital and physical punishments, then the most probable end result would be an increase in aggression in the society.
Reference
Alvarez, A. & Bachman, R. (2016). Violence: The enduring problem. (3rd ed.) Sage Publications.