Theories of Violence: Social Science Perspectives

Abstract

The articles in this Special Issue provide an overview of some of the major social science perspectives regarding violence in sociology, psychology, anthropology, and political economy. An analysis and a synthesis of these fields of study as they pertain to violence reveal common themes. This paper attempts to examine conceptual commonalities and distinctions across these academic disciplines in an attempt to weave an integrated framework that may elucidate our theoretical understanding of violence. An integrative conceptual framework that highlights shared factors across social science disciplines may further illuminate our understanding of the multidisciplinary correlates of violence and, therefore, assist instructors, practitioners, and researchers in the identification and application of core theoretical concepts that underlie social science explanations of violence; thereby assisting social work students to better understand the interactions between of human behavior and the social environment.

KEYWORDS:

• Violence
• theoretical integration
• social work