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10PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE | ПСИХОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ НАУКИ
PERSONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR STUDENTS ON THE PHENOMENON OF
CHILD CRUELTY
Tsilmak O.M.
Odessa State University of Internal Affairs, Professor, Doctor of legal sciences, Professor of the Department of Criminalities, Forensic Medicine and Psychiatry,
Ukraine
Ro&omova L.M.
Odessa State University of Internal Affairs, Candidate of psychological sciences, Associate Professor Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages,
Ukraine
ABSTRACT
The authors give the results of the anonymous queflioning of fludents on the phenomenon of child cruelty and classify internally-caused and externally-caused socio-psychological determinants of child cruelty. According to the authors, the prevention of violent behavior among children should be implemented at the national and local levels.
Keywords: violence, cruelty, children, boys, girls, fludents, socio-psychological determinants, infraction, phenomenon
Formulation of the problem. It should be noted that recently in Ukraine, the increasing of a number of juveniles who commit serious and especially serious crimes (from the total number of offences committed by adolescents - there are more than 68 percent of serious and very serious offences) is Sated. In particular, the number of offences committed by juveniles has increased, between which there are intentional grievous harm, rape, robbery. The number of homicides has increased in 8 regions of Ukraine. Therefore, the phenomenon of violence among adolescents is quite common and requires the deepefl research.
Analysis of the lafl researches and publications. The following scientifls dedicated their scientific works to the phenomenon of cruelty, such as: Sh. M., Abdulaev, D.S. Abdulaeva, Yu.M. Antonyan, L.M. Balabanova, N.A. Berdyaev, I.S. Berdishev, O.V Belkin-Kovalchuk, M.I.Buyanov, N.V Gaydarenko, V.V. Guldan, A. Guggenbul, A.A. Derkach, L.Yu.Ivanova, I.S. Kon, O.V Lahno, M.G. Nechaeva, O.R. Ratinov, O.L. Romanova, M.M. Semago, N.Y. Semago, N.Yu. Sinyagina, U.V Sinyagin, N.D. Yaroslavzeva and others. Consequently, the subject does not lose its relevance and is very interefling for the representatives of different branches of knowledge.
For underflanding of the phenomenon of cruelty, the works of the following philosophers have the greatefl value: Zh.Batay, N.A. Bulgakova, Zh.Derrid, VV.Erofeev, I.S. Kon, B.V.Markov, K.S. Pigrov, E. From, S.L.Franko, S.Freud and others. Mofl philosophers regarded brutality as a manifeflation of evil. Human cruelty can cause not only physical, spiritual but a virtual suffering. Cruelty and detraction - is a particular response to exiflential needs (E.From).
In psychology, the fludying of violence and child cruelty were engaged in such scientifls as: A. Guggenbul, A.A. Derkach, N.Yu. Sinyagina, U.V Sinyagin, O.U. Mihaylov, I.S.Berdishev, M.G. Nechaev and others. In legal sciences, the child cruelty was researched by: A.P. Zakalyuk, P.Yu. Konflantinov, VM. Kudryavtzev and others. On child cruelty and manifeflations of violent behaviour of juveniles, it was quite subflantial written in the writings of such pedagogues as: L. Yu. Ivanov, A.V. Belkin-Kovalchuk, K. D. Ushinsky and others.
It should be flated that the definition of «cruelty» is determined differently by the scientifls in different field, for example, according to psychologies, «cruelty» is:
- the tendency as for the especially brutal forms of aggressive behavior [1]
(by S. L. Solovyova);
- it is a specific feature of an individual violent offender, which manifefls itself in an antisocial behavior aimed at causing suffering [2] (O. Mikhaylova);
- the violence over needs, intentions, feelings, attitudes, personality, humiliation, and coercion to the act, contrary to its interefls [3] (V Ivanov).
Emphasizing of the earlier unsolving parts of the common problem. Thus, at the present flage, the research of the phenomenon of child cruelty is becoming a more popular direction of research activities of psychologies, pedagogues, sociologies, philosophers, lawyers, etc.
The goal of the research. So, analyzing the works of scientifls, we can confidently assert that cruelty can be a feature of character of a personality or the mental flate of an individual or it is a consequence of a mental illness.
Presentation of the main material. It should be emphasized that every violent act of a child has its reason. Therefore, to eflablish personal infractions for school fludents on the phenomenon of child cruelty and as well as for the classification of socio-psychological determinants of child cruelty, we developed an anonymous queflionnaire that included 40 queflions. The queflions were designed to cover both internally-caused and externally-caused socio-psychological determinants of child cruelty. During 2014-2015 year we were holding an anonymous queflionnaire among children of secondary schools of the city of Odessa (Ukraine) and children who are regiflered in the police departments in Odessa region. In total, the queflionnaire included 503 respondents aged 8-17 years, of which there are 237 girls and 266 boys.
We are analyzing the mofl interefling, from our point of view, fludents' answers to the queflionnaire. So, 69.9 % of the respondent girls and 62 % of the respondent boys believe that child abuse in the family affects on their cruelty in future; 10 % of girls and 15 % of boys think that 50:50% (affects and does not affect).
The majority of respondents who are regiflered in the police departments in Odessa region (41.1 % of respondents) said that child abuse in a family is «partially» affects on its cruelty in future and only 27.8 % of respondents believe that 50:50% affects on their cruelty in future, the abuse in their families.'
63.2% of the respondent girls and 43.7% of the respondent boys believe that the development of the phenomenon of child cruelty is influenced by modern computer games with elements of fighting, wars; 20.4% of girls and 28.7% of boys suggefl -50:50% (affects and does not affect).
86,7 % of respondents, who are regiflered in the police departments in Odessa region, said that it is really indeed, today's computer games with elements of fighting, wars affect on the development of the phenomenon of child cruelty, 7.7% think that it doesn't affect and 2.8 % think that 50:50% (affects and does not affect).
47,9 % of the respondent girls and 34.4 % of the respondent boys believe that a child becomes cruel (violent), if he/she conflantly watch movies with elements of violence; 28.9% of girls and 30,8% of boys think that 50:50 % (affects and does not affect).
30% of respondents, who are regiflered in the police departments in Odessa region refused to answer, and 27.7 % of the respondents consider that 50: 50% of cases, the child becomes cruel (violent).
76.2% of the respondent girls and 70% of the respondent boys think that the child becomes violent, if he/she lives in the conditions of conflant fights; 9.3% of girls and 13.4% of boys think that «sometimes».
41,4 % of the respondent girls and 34.2% of the respondent boys think the Internet affects on the formation of child cruelty and 34.4% of girls and 43.7 % of boys think that 50:50 %( affects and does not affect). The majority of respondents-81,7%, who are regiflered in the police departments in Odessa region are convinced in it and only 10.6 % of respondents said that the Internet does not affect on the formation of child cruelty.
35,1 % of the respondent boys and 28.2% of the respondent girls believe that cruelty is affected by the fact of unfair assessment of knowledge; 26.5% of boys and 31.9% of girls believe that «sometimes».
22.9% of the respondent boys and 26.7% of girls are convinced that the fact that teachers have their «favorites»
among the fludents, always affects on the manifeflation of cruelty; 31.2% of boys and 33.3 % of girls think that it affects only partially.
39,3 % of the respondent girls and 37.3 % of the respondent boys believe that the inequality between children in appearance, clothing, level of knowledge and level of teachers' attitude affect on the manifeflation of cruelty. 30.4% of girls and 20.6 % of boys believe that it is sometimes so like this.
37.7% of the respondent boys and 44.4 % of girls indicate that violent behavior is influenced by the fact that school teachers protect the «guilty persons» but not victims; whereas 31% of boys and 23.6% of girls believe that partly this fact affects on cruelty manifeflation.
In the opinion of the respondents, cruelty forms in a child: by the children of their age - so said 31.4% of boys; by parents - so think 27,6 % of boys and 43.5 % of girls; by the child him/ herself - so said 19.7% of girls.
Thus, the results of the anonymous queflionnaire of fludents allowed us to determine the following personal infractions for the fludents on the phenomenon of child cruelty. Consequently, the majority of children are convinced that:
1)the cruelty of a child forms from the birth;
2) children who are cruel are not respectable;
3) there are really violent (cruel) children among their classmates;
4) violent acts committed by children rarely take place in their school;
5) the boys are more cruel (violent);
6) the girls have never demonflrated their cruelty;
7) the reasons of cruelty:
a) child abuse in the family;
b) modern computer games with elements of fighting and wars;
c) films with elements of violence;
d) education of a child by the only one of the parents;
e) living in unsanitary conditions, conflant fights and quarrels in families;
f) the Internet; g) the exigence of teachers' «favorites» among the fludents;
h) the fact of the unfair assessment of knowledge;
i) the inequality between children: appearance, clothing, level of knowledge and level of teachers' attitude;
j) the fact that school teachers protect the «guilty persons» but not victims;
k) the type of relationship of the children of the same age;
l) violent behavior infilling by parents.
In the opinion of the respondents they have never been cruel, but the girls have a flrong belief that the more violent are the boys, but the boys believe that adults are more violent.
Therefore, analyzing the scientific views of scientifls and the results of the anonymous queflionnaire of fludents, we suggefl that the reasons leading to cruelty can be divided into two groups:
1) internally-caused reasons, that is, when a violent act does not always depend on the will of the person;
2) externally-caused reasons, that is, the brutality can occur under the influence of certain external circumflances.
Thus, in our opinion, the main internally-caused reasons of violence include:
1) defects of psyche;
2) genetic predisposition, that is a biological predetermination of violence (type of higher nervous syflem; the emotional-volitional personality flructure);
3) negative deformation of the child's personality (moral depreciation rules; depreciation of the value of human life; personal meaning of cruel behavior; unconscious imitation of a cruel idol; the presence of negative social attitudes);
4) psycho-physical fatigue;
5) internal sense of dissatisfaction with their lives, family, social environment; social and financial inequality and the like.
The main externally-caused reasons of child cruelty, in our opinion should be included:
1) Social alienation of a child faced with a conflant emotional humiliation, social environment, psychological violence, being insulted - a child is capable even to kill the offender.
2) Forced externally imposed form of behavior of a child -the child commits violent acts if he/she plays unusual for him/ her social role, from the permanent controlling him/herself, the child in difficult circumflances does not fland up and «slide down».
3) Wrong type of education in the family.
It should include:
a) hyperprotection - parents watch over and don't give the opportunity to do independent fleps, as a result the children are getting angry and decide to commit violent actions;
b) flrict and hard conditions of upbringing - the violent form of behavior is becoming habitual for a child;
c) education by the type «Cinderella» - a child rebels at a certain period of time and commits violent acts;
d) education by the type «outsider» in the family - conflantly feeling his/her own worthlessness and uselessness to the family, a child is becoming embittered and cruel;
e) education in the conditions of conflant flress, conflicts, family quarrels and fights -so-called «training model» works in such families;
f) education in anti-social conditions;
g) education in the conditions to make a child believe that all people are «enemies»;
h) the authoritarian flyle of a child education which is characterized by direct subordination to the will of the parents, and as a result, children in such families are suppressed and the school is the main channel, where they can demonflrate out their internally overwhelming anger and fear.
4) The single parenting - a child is jealous to those children who have both parents, to those who get more love, care and protection and as a result he/she becomes embittered and cruel.
5) The conditions of learning and education in school -in school the child is faced with the firfl manifeflations of violence, mainly psychological (psychological trauma insulting, harassment, intimidation, conflant insults, humiliation) and physical (fighting, bodily harm, torture).
6) The influence of the Internet and television upon the formation of a child cruelty from these sources, children in their early childhood get such bad experience of violent forms of behavior. Often in the game or in different situations children imitate the violence seen on television. As a result, they believe that violence is acceptable behavior and the way of their own problems solving, etc.
Conclusions and propositions. So, summing up, we believe it mufl be obligatory:
1) At the national level to prohibit:
- demonflration of kids movies and cartoons with elements of violence;
- selling of games and computer games with elements of violence (shooting, fighting, murder) to children;
- placement and diflribution in "the Internet" videos with attacks on juvenile persons committed in an extreme violence (arson, beatings, rape);
- popularity of alcohol, tobacco using and the like.
2) At the local level it should be:
- held preventive conversations with parents that the formation of children's behavior, including cruelty, depends on from their attitude and relationships;
- introduced "help-lines" for children, because the firfl manifeflations of a child violence is derived from the family;
- introduced lessons for children on the topic: «Harmful effect of computer games on children's minds «; «Consequences of violent form of behavior»;
«Influence of alcohol and drugs upon a child psyche» and the like.
References
1. Solovyova, S.L. (1995) Agressivnoe povedenie i agressivnofl kak svoyflvo lichnofli [Aggressive behavior and aggressiveness as a feature of a personality]. // Review of psychiatry and medical psychology of V. M. Bekhterev. - №3-4, pp.13-20. [in Russian]
2. Mihailova, O.Yu. (1985) Problema zheflokofli v kriminalnoy psihologii [The problem of cruelty in criminal psychology]. Candidate's thesis- Moscow [in Russian]
3. Ivanov, V.I. (2004) Problemy formirovania i preodoleniya fenomena gomitzidalnoy zheflokofli [Problems of formation and overcoming of the phenomenon of homicidally cruelty]. //Obrazovanie i nasiliye. Education and violence. 155-16.[in Russian]
4. Nasilie, zheflokofl, agressiya [Violence,cruelty, aggressiveness]. Kriminalno-psihologicheskoe issledovanie. Criminal-psychological research. Moscow. 1990. - 149 p.
