DEVELOPMENT AND CAUSES OF VIOLENCE IN OUR SOCIETY

This paper presents an introduction to a special issue on aggression and violence. A brief analysis of the discussion on violence in Germany is followed by a sketch of the problems of definition and data on its prevalence. Crime Statistics of the Police indicate: (a) a strong long-term increase over the last 30 years, (b) a degree of stability during the 1980s, and (c) a marked increase at the beginning of the 1990s that is now dropping again. Specific causes for this trend are discussed and a general model for the explanation of violence is presented. The latter is based on Bandura's cognitive-social learning theory. It differentiates between (1) long-term influences on dispositions to violence, (2) situational influences that trigger and sustain violent behavior, and (3) societal framing conditions. The three levels and how they interact are illustrated with examples.