Response to Megan Cooney (2/10/2010)

Q:Why is it that violence and crime have such a seductive effect on the human mind?

I believe that peoples need to commit violence and crime is related to a purely human quality. I feel the human sense of self is the main reason for the seductive affect that violence and crime have on the human mind. This sense of self causes humans to feel the need to constantly want to compare themselves with others; it all comes down to the fact that each human wants to know if they are better or worse than someone else. This idea can take many forms, and each form represents a different way that people act. There are a few different reasons why the human mind is attracted to violence and crime, but I believe they are all related to the sense of self that humans have.

I think one of the main reasons for the attraction that humans have towards violence and crime relates to societies values. Children our told by their parents that violence and crime is bad and they should never associate themselves with it. When children grow up, they see crime and violence all over television, and they notice that it is something that makes people stand out; children understand that the attention from violence is negative, but it often seems that this negativity does not affect them. When these children get older, they want to be different. Most of these people will try to stand out in a positive way, but many will not have that opportunity. The people who do not have the opportunity to get attention in a positive way will look to get some in a negative way.

The seductive effect that violence brings is created because of the attention that people will receive. People know that crime is something you should not do, but it always seems interesting because of the way media depicts it. People who commit crimes often feel great about themselves during the crime. Bank robbers often feel a rush during the crime because they know they are taking a risk. They feel like they are doing something that most cannot do which makes them feel special. The desire to commit crimes and violence is caused by the rush that people get from doing something that is a risk; the sense of self that humans have causes the need to stand out, and taking risks fills this need.

The effect that violence and crime have on the human mind is caused simply by the human’s sense of self. Humans want to stand out in some way, and violence and crime provides this. Even though the humans sense of self causes the desire for crimes and violence, I feel our society causes people to want to commit crimes more then they would normally. This leads to my interest of what society’s impact on violence and crimes is.

What effect do societies values have on the human desire to commit violence and crime?
How much of an effect does society have on the human mind?