About
Street Violence
(this is
a translation by T.H.E. Servant of the
original article in dutch)
Social
Control
The
postmodern problem of modernized and
mechanized society we experience as an
increase of street violence. One doesn't
really speak about cultural neurosis and
psychological problems anymore, but of an
absense of civil order, respect an safety.
Policially one chooses for the solution of
more police in the street. But one may ask
oneself whether this would be the social
control that we were wishing for. Of
course a police state is not our
objective, ideal or dream. Social control
though is the solution for the problem.
And just organizing a course in education
of problem-youngsters will not do as a
sufficient solution either. A
paternalistic concept of social control
goes straight against the grain of
adolescent selfrespect and forms an insult
for mature society. Accusing parents by
the way is a strategy that in mental
heathcare has been taken relative as
realistically there would be more causes
than just the educational
aspect.
The
Demands of behavioral science
Then,
how must the problem of social contol be
taken care of? The answer consists of a
better integration of behavioral science
with economical science and the science of
law that threaten to dominate with the
pragmatical argument. Pragmatic
argumentation might represent a bit too
much of the lustmotive because of which we
loose sight of the realityprinciple that
we need for the social reality of social
control. For the sake of a realistic sense
of social control, there are a couple of
behavioral demands: first it must be in
accord with the selfresponsible of the
mature option. Measures may not constitute
a paternalistic system of control for the
sake of political power as we can see in a
capitalistic (police)state (the West), a
fundamentalist state (the Middle East) or
in a communist/socialist repressive system
(China). In order to realize a political
solution of social problems the
fundamentals of behavioral science must be
respected. (as we are dealing with the
behavioral problem of streetviolence). As
everyone knows, is science dwelling upon a
couple of fundamental principles, like
verification (the duty of reference), free
association (freedom of values) and the
freedom of will (uncertainty). Behavioral
science also follows these principles and
if fact proposes in conclusion a form of
verification and free association based
upon voluntary participation of adults. It
can possibly be a therapeutic
relationship, but this doesn't have to be
so. Mental heathcare is in conflict with
the mature option and therefore is
streetviolence post-modern not experienced
as an individual psychological problem,
but as a collective political (also
religious) problem.
Timeschedules
How does
a behavioral science approach practically
look like? Behavioral science is concerned
with conditionings. The idea is that blind
punishment does not really bring about an
other conditioning en thus neither
constitutes a solution to the problem.
Plaster is fine, but prevention works
better. Therefore one has to offer another
conditioning as existing conditionings do
not suffice anylonger. First of all: what
is conditioning? Conditioning literally
means: to become dependent on time and
circumstances. A proper orientation to
time and circumstances is central to that
as the norm for mental and thus also
societal health (street violence thus seen
is a form of social madness or confusion
about schemes of time and what would be
wanted being present). Behavioral science
deals with time-schedules and the control
over conditions. (the circumstances of
stimulation and reward) in order to arrive
at a morally responsible reinforcement of
wanted behavior. Therefore we need a moral
directive on the basis of which one
decides what is wanted and what not, which
one mustn't confuse with what could be
tolerated or not. E.g alcohol and nicotine
are tolerated, but should not be
reinforced as wanted risk-behavior
reinforcing it likewise one reinforces
wanted behavior. This practically means
that alcoholic beers e.g. should cost at
least double as much as non-alcoholic beer
(by taxing the use) and that the cost of
healthcare for smokers should be accounted
for in the prizes for using tobacco. But
it is not just taxing for the use that
makes up a good policy of moral
distinction. Evidently also schedules of
reinforcement are important. How about
those timeschedules?
The
alternative and agression.
In
psychology one speaks of psychological
time: one experiences time as unstable
having all kinds of emotions to that
(psychological problems). The word
psychology itself is also used denoting
the problem. This problem consists of
instability or lability (concerning the
regulation af agression e.g.). How does
this instability come about? Folk-wisdom
can explain that you shouldn't loose your
balance if you want to be stable.
Behavioural science is not estanged from
that wisdom, and usually advises the
practice of alternate schedules, not
because these are better than the original
scheme of reinforcement, but because they
offer freedom of choice and thus an
opportunity for accepting personal
responsibilty for a balanced approach of
the social situation (control over the
conditions). The alternative serves the
purpose of breaking out of fixations that
in fact constitute the reason for the
rebellion and the agression. (in fact also
the lustmotive is respected and understood
with it). Without an alternative of reason
breaking throught fixations will naturally
result in agression (a loss of control)
and then it is justified to speak of an
increase in social chaos.
Practical
consequence.
Without
heresy against the existing order of time,
as being immoral, chaotic, pragmatic,
reductionistic, capitalistic and without a
conscience etc., one can, with a sane
mind, propagate an alternative of
time-management that contains a morally
responsible schedule of reinforcement (a
policy) to bring about the social control
that is in accord with the principles of
natural science in general and behavioral
science in particular. Arriving at a
practical conclusion after the herefore
delivered analysis of the problem, one at
least has to answer to four basic rules:
one has to appeal to reslfresponsibility;
one is out for bringing about (1) the
social behavior of adults treating
ypungsters as if they would anwser to the
demands (if not than it is the problem of
the parents). Secondly this wanted social
behavior must be verified, meaning (2) one
has to be reinforced for being present
(reward means registration). Thirdly the
policy based on on value-freedom may not
determine which association should be
chosen: meaning (3) any social presence
outside of the private sphere (we are
dealing with the social of public life)
must be equally rewarded (with the
exception of clubs etc.). Fourth the
freedom of will must be respected: (4) not
participating in such a reinforced and
verified public life may not be
punished.
A
system
How does
such an alternative schedule of behavioral
reinforcement work? It works with a
calender and a creditpoint-system. Every
registered participant will get a
creditcard that each month will asign e.g.
a hundred points to a participant (it is
not possible to save more than a hundred
points). These points one may regard as a
reward for being socially present and
behaving correctly: one can exchange these
points for entry to public places and use
them for wanted consumption. One
credit-point could be equivalent with one
Euro but can not be exchanged for hard
currency. Practically a registered user
may load his card every month up to
hundred points and spend them on social
activities in the public sphere
(concerthall, musical happenings,
sportsevents, cinema's, musea,
café's and such) This card will
only be valid on certain days of the week
according to a calender that will spread
the attention over all days of the week;
one week on monday, next week on tuesday
etc. This according an alternative
scientific (logical deductable) account of
the year (see The Order:
../../images/theorder/tabellen.html). This
is necessary to break trough the
standard-fixation of conditioning. Further
one is only allowed to consume as wanted:
one can not get alcoholic beverages or
cigarettes with this card and only get
vegetarian meals (french fries, but no
hot-dog) (eating meat belongs to
risk-behavior). Further one can not
receive services or goods of another kind
on this card or use it for private
purposes financing soda's and peanuts in
the supermarket (rubbers one will have to
pay for oneself since it pertains to no
public behavior). Of course this
settlement is there for everyone and not
just for
social-security-people.
Financing
How does
one finance such a system? By means of the
moral distinction that one has to make in
ones policies to achieve this social
control, one will have to rationalize the
consumption-taxes: means obtained from an
extra raise of alcoholtax must be invested
in the restricted distribution of
non-alcoholic beverages. Means obtained
from raising taxes on meatproducts and
tobacco will have to be invested not only
in the healthcare necessary for that kind
of risk-behavior, but also to reward those
consumers who do not participate in that
(thus no elitary reinforcement). Except
for taxes the businesses involved can
contribute themselves voluntarily (being a
member or not of the social
creditmanagement) as the general use of
their facilities is enormously encouraged
(they almost become the state-institutions
of public life). Further one can also
strive for less uniforms (police etc.) in
the streets and less prisons, judges and
lawyers (they, for a change, may also go
downtown without a uniform), which also
will give a considerable
cost-reduction.
drs.
R.P.B.A. Meijer, privately practicing
psychologist in Enschede