History of Violence
Check out our new video clip on youtube about Behavioral Profiling and the History of Violence.
It’s important to note that sometimes violence is sparked due to a person’s fear. This fear can be either real or imagined, the fear of being attacked can escalate the rate of becoming violent. The blood rushes to the large skeletal muscles making it easier to maneuver swiftly. When a person gets angry blood rushes to the hands, making it easier to engage with a weapon or fight an opponent. The heart rate increases. The rush of adrenaline triggers an action stance. Anger gives the person a feeling of energy and power. It is seductive and euphoric, therefore, making it very difficult to keep under control.
When the subject reaches the point of rage he/she engages in negative self-talk, precipitating the anger to a level of rage. Once the person is in “rage”, the window of opportunity for defusing is almost impossible. At this point the subject becomes incapable of rationalizing. The amygdala (located in the f ront temporal lobe of the brain) appears to be the source of the “rage” emotion. However, without an amygdala, recognition of feelings and passion would be absent.
The point to remember most is to try and locate if a subject has a history of violence. If the answer is yes, then the subject has a higher probability of being violent in the future, however, if you can’t find any violence in the background do not put your guard down, this point is just one of many aspects of a threat assessment. Remember, it is not always the subject who is outwardly angry, it may be the one who is quiet and alone that may be prone to acting out.