Violence from the Perspective of Impulsive Violence Convicts: A Qualitative Study

Although anger is a normal emotion, violence brings about harm to others and harms the abuser. The main purpose of the present study was to qualitatively study the nature of violence among impulsive violent individuals convicted of beating. 

Research Method:

The study population was prisoners convicted of beatings. They were selected by judgmental sampling method and theoretical sampling strategy. Ultimately, 32 violent prisoners, judged by the prison official, aged between 18 and 30 and sentenced to between 6 months and 2.5 years, participated in the study.

The present research was of qualitative type and data analysis was performed by Glazer method. Data were analyzed using real coding which has two stages: open coding and axial coding.

The results of data analysis revealed that psychological pathology could initiate violence-remorse cycle. Excessive arousal accelerates and continues violence- remorse cycle. Primary psychological pathology consists of genetic and interpersonal factors in childhood that accelerates violence in early adulthood. Excessive arousal is caused by numerous factors such as impairment of individual skills, cognitive disorders, moral impairment and unreasonable interpersonal interactions.

According to the research findings, the factors effective in the emergence of irritability and the launch of the violence paradox are multifold and complex. Improving the underlying psychological vulnerability is not possible easily as it is linked with factors that are related to the past. By managing excessive arousal through its causative agents, violence-remorse cycle could be halted.