Factors That Can Trigger Violent Behaviour
Psychologist Samanta Clara Elserm, S.Psi, M.Psi, states that family background, parenting styles, childhood experiences, and social environments can be factors that trigger the emergence of violent behaviour in an individual.
The official of the Indonesian Psychological Association (HIMPSI) explained that in psychology, the term ‘cycle of violence’ is recognised. This term refers to a pattern where violence experienced or witnessed by someone since childhood can affect how they understand emotions, relationships, and problem-solving in adulthood.
According to Samanta, children raised with harsh parenting styles are at risk of perceiving actions such as hitting, verbal abuse, or confinement as forms of discipline. Under certain conditions, such actions are then viewed as an acceptable way to control others.
“If from a young age a child is raised in an environment that considers hitting, verbal abuse, and confinement as ways to resolve problems or as a form of discipline, their brain will record that violence is a natural way to act when angry or when wanting to control others,” said Samanta.
Samanta noted that bad childhood experiences can also affect a person’s emotional development into adulthood. Children who experience or witness domestic violence, according to her, are at risk of experiencing emotional developmental disorders if they do not receive adequate treatment.
“In adulthood, some people who do not receive trauma recovery will change their roles, from being a victim to becoming a perpetrator, so that they no longer feel weak,” she said.
Nevertheless, Samanta emphasised that bad childhood experiences do not automatically make someone a perpetrator of violence. Many individuals who have experienced a difficult childhood can still break the cycle of violence through social support, education, and professional assistance.
In addition to family and childhood experiences, Samanta assessed that the social environment also plays a role in shaping an individual’s behaviour. An environment that normalises aggression can make violence increasingly accepted as a response to conflict.
“A toxic social environment, a lack of emotional education, or even one that tolerates aggressive behaviour also nurtures the potential for violence within an individual,” she said.
These statements were made amidst public attention regarding the case of a 29-year-old woman from Bandung Regency who was found to be a victim of confinement and abuse for three years. The woman, who had been reported missing by her family since 2023, was found in critical condition in a hospital. She was reportedly subjected to confinement and abuse by her partner for three years.
To her father, the victim admitted to experiencing extremely cruel abuse during that period. During that time, the perpetrator reportedly frequently moved the victim from one boarding house to another in the Cileunyi area, Bandung Regency, to avoid suspicion from local residents.
Samanta emphasised that violence does not arise from a single factor. Parenting styles, traumatic experiences, and environments that permit aggression can reinforce one another. Therefore, trauma recovery, emotional education, and professional support are essential so that the chain of violence does not continue to repeat.