Youth Over Violence

Activity

By going through the wheel with guided discussion, you will begin to recognize the patterns of insecurity and low-self esteem feeding the need to exert power and control over someone else. In addition, negative feelings can cause people to want to make others feel bad too, thereby “giving away” or transferring their discomfort and pain to someone else. Of course, not all people who feel bad about themselves act out abusively and violently. The important thing to understand is that the possibility of violent and abusive behavior increases when insecurity, low self-esteem, fear, stress, and uncomfortable feelings of vulnerability are mixed with other common motivational factors, such as a violent family history, or other relevant circumstances and conditions.