Does “Violent” Mean “Bad”? Individual Definitions of Violence

ABSTRACT

People use the word “violent” to describe a wide range of behaviors. When referring to acts of force, however, past research indicates that people often reserve the word “violent” to refer to acts of force that they define as “bad.” In the current study we use vignettes to explore variation in people’s definitions of a particular instance of the use of force. The findings indicate support for the idea that people reserve the word “violent” to refer to acts of force they view as “bad.” Findings indicate there is variation in perceptions of the level of violence, and whether the incident was even violent. Characteristics of the incident as well as the gender of those involved account for the majority of the variance explained.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ruth Triplett

RUTH TRIPLETT is a Professor in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Old Dominion University. Her research interests include social disorganization, labeling theory and the role of gender and class in criminological theory. Her most recent publications are found in American Journal of Criminal Justice, Crime and Delinquency, and Deviant Behavior.

Brian Payne

BRIAN PAYNE received his Ph.D. in Criminology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 1993. He is currently the vice provost for graduate and undergraduate academic programs at Old Dominion University, where he is tenured in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. He is the President of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and past President of the Southern Criminal Justice Association. Payne is the author or co-author of more than 160 journal articles and seven books including White-Collar Crime: The Essentials (Sage), Family Violence and Criminal Justice (Elsevier, with Randy Gainey), and Crime and Elder Abuse: An Integrated Perspective (Charles C Thomas).

Victoria E. Collins

VICTORIA E. COLLINS is an Assistant Professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. Victoria’s research and teaching interests include state crime, victimology, white collar crime, transnational crime, and violence against women. Victoria recently published a book with Routledge (Taylor & Francis), titled State Crime, Women and Gender. Some of Victoria’s recent publications have appeared in journals such as International Criminal Law Review, Critical Criminology, Contemporary Justice Review, and The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Criminology.

Susannah Tapp

SUSANNAH TAPP is a second year Ph.D. student in criminology and criminal justice in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Her areas of interest are elder abuse, gender, and family violence.