This book is a collection of essays on violence and resilience that I wrote during first half of the year 2014. A few months ago, after more than 30 years of interviewing persons who have committed violent acts, I realized that perpetrators think they are doing something good when they are violent. The people I interviewed who committed violent acts were decent men almost all of the time. They were fathers and husbands who took good care of their families, worked at responsible jobs, and enjoyed the love of respect of families and friends. Their violence was part-time but harmful to the wives and children they believed they loved. Some had experienced childhood trauma. Some felt defective and that something was wrong with them. Some fell into "stinkin' thinkin'" where they felt consumed with self-hatred and rage at their circumstances and at other people whom they held responsible for their emotional pain. These emotional states, however, are not the reason they committed violence. Many people feel as they do and do not harm others. Other people may harm themselves, but most often they seek constructive, prosocial ways of dealing with their distress. In short, most people who feel shame and who experienced trauma do not act out in ways that hurt others. Persons who commit violent acts do so because they think their actions will result in something good for them and, sometimes, for others, too. People who do not commit violence even though they think about it think about consequences. They don't want to harm themselves and others. For some people, the idea of violence as good may not be new. Maybe lots of people know this. After all, who doesn't take satisfaction in vengeance or in righting a wrong, such as when the bad guy in the movies or in video games gets blown up or shot?. How many people do that in real life? We see violence in the mass media every day. Another type of good that comes from violent acts is solving a problem. The kid is whining-punish him until he shuts up. The wife is annoying--do something about it. These actions are attempts to stop behaviors that perpetrators don't like. The cessation of the behaviors is the good they seek. They may also take satisfaction in having the power to make others do things they don't want to do. In a few cases, there is no satisfaction, but perpetrators have the simple goal of doing what they think is right for them. People who commit violence either don't think about or don't care that others are hurt and their lives may end or be ruined. What they care about is what they want at the moment. I hope this book helps others to think about violence in new ways. It is clear that punishment and prison does not deter violence. It's time for new thinking.
About the Author: Jane F. Gilgun, PhD, is a professor, School of Social Work, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, USA. She has done research on violence for more than 30 years. She wants to understand violence in order to contribute to efforts for prevention