Understanding Violence: Summary with
Key Points
Violence, understood as a process and not just a fixed structure, exists in a society and
involves different practices at interdependent levels. Beyond physical violence, there is no
clear consensus on what it includes or when it is justified. Here are key thoughts and
summarized perspectives on violence:
1. Defined as intentional physically aggressive behavior.
2. It is physical or verbal force to compel action against one’s will.
3. Violence is destructive, harms dignity, and shows greed for others' characteristics.
4. WHO defines violence as intentional use of force or power that may lead to harm or
death.
5. It includes assault, legal intervention, and self-harm.
6. It's tied to an aggressor-victim view, where defensive force may not be seen as violent.
7. Violence is used as a tool of manipulation.
8. Perception matters; people differ on whether some acts are violent.
9. Violence is sinful, while non-violence is virtuous.
10. The term has shifted to mean more physical violence, but thinkers like Karl Marx see
violence in social structures (structural violence).
11. Violence includes actions, words, attitudes, and systems causing damage or limiting
human potential.
12. It is anything avoidable that hinders self-realization.
13. Racism tries to justify violence by de-valuing others.
14. All violence raises questions of justification and denies human dignity.
15. Violence is used to cover shame, especially as a symbol of manhood.
16. Violence should be a key concept in discussions on war and peace.
Johan Galtung's Typology of Violence
According to Johan Galtung, violence has three interrelated forms, often called the 'triangle
of violence':
Direct Violence: physical harm (e.g., murder).
Structural Violence: rooted in systems that cause inequality and suffering.
Cultural Violence: attitudes or beliefs that justify other forms of violence.
These three forms are interconnected, forming a triangle where each can cause or lead to
the other. All forms of violence breed each other and exist together.
Example: Ethnic Cleansing
Direct: killing and massacres.
Structural: avoidable deaths like from malnutrition.
Cultural: justifying these acts or being indifferent.
Triangle of Violence: Cultural, Structural, and Direct Violence