[Goldstein (2008.12.07.1359 EST)]
The discussion about media and violence has made me think of a clinical,. research study to better understand violence on an individual basis:
After a resident is written up for a fighting, assaulting, destroying property or theatening incident, we (David G, David L. John W and GaryP) meet with him or her and ask:
Do you consider what you did or said to be violent or aggressive?
What was going on in you, or the situation, before this incident happened?
Did what you did, or said, make any difference in the situation or what was going on inside of you?
Other than getting written up for your action, do you consider your action to have been successful in some way?
By conducting a brief interview after each incident, we may better understand the reasons that the teenagers that we work with engage in violent behavior.
David