Table of contents:
- What is violence?
- What are the types of violence?
- Violence according to the type of damage caused
- Violence according to the type of victim
- Violence according to the area where it occurs
- 1. Physical violence
- 2. Psychological and emotional violence
- 3. Sexual violence
- 4. Economic or patrimonial violence
- 5. Violence against women
- 6. Violence against children
- 7. Violence against the elderly
- 8. Gender violence
- 9. Violence due to sexual orientation
- 10. Violence against people with disabilities
- 11. Domestic or intra-family violence
- 12. Violence in communities, in the streets and public spaces
- 13. Violence at school
- 14. Violence at work
- 15. Violence through the media and cyberspace
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Violence is one of the main causes of death among the population. Every year, millions of people lose their lives violently and many others are injured and suffer a wide variety of mental, physical and sexual problems… With data from the 2010 report carried out by the WHO (World Health Organization), some 5.8 million people die each year as a result of injuries (10% of all registered deaths in the world). But what exactly is violence? Are there different types of violence? What are the types of violence?
In this Psychology-Online article we will address the concept of violence to better understand it and we will present the definition of the different types of violence that exist today. How many types of violence are there? We will see the 15 main types of violence.
You may also be interested in: What is sexual violence and how to prevent it? Index- What is violence?
- What are the types of violence?
- Physical violence
- Psychological and emotional violence
- Sexual violence
- Economic or patrimonial violence
- Violence against women
- Violence against children
- Violence against the elderly
- Gender violence
- Violence due to sexual orientation
- Violence against people with disabilities
- Domestic or family violence
- Violence in communities, in the streets and in public spaces
- Violence at school
- Violence at work
- Violence through the media and cyberspace
What is violence?
The wide variety of ethical codes in the different countries of the world means that the concept of violence does not have a clear definition. The idea of what is or is not accepted behavior or violent behavior, as well as the idea of what causes harm, varies according to different cultures and remains under constant review. It should be remembered, therefore, that there are many different definitions of violence depending on who does it and in the context in which it is done.
Referring to official data, the WHO currently defines violence as: "The intentional use of physical force, threats against oneself, another person, a group or a community that results in or is very likely to result in trauma., psychological damage, developmental problems or death. "
On the one hand, the definition excludes unintentional acts such as traffic or domestic accidents (for example, burns) and includes both interpersonal violence and suicidal behavior and armed conflicts as well as acts beyond the physical: threats and intimidation and damages that do not necessarily result in death. Also included in this definition are those acts that, with certain deficiencies, compromise the well - being of individuals, families and communities.
There are different types of violence, below we will see the classification and characteristics of each of the types of violence.
What are the types of violence?
How many types of violence are there? What are the types of violence that exist? Violence can be classified according to multiple criteria. The WHO divides the types of violence according to whether it is interpersonal -that is, acts committed by an individual or group of individuals-, suicide and self-inflicted violence and, finally, collective violence (members of a group against another group or group of subjects).
Another classification model would be that carried out by José Sanmartín, who makes a taxonomy according to the type of action, according to the type of damage caused, according to the scenario or context in which it occurs, according to the type of aggressor and according to the type of victim.
In this article we will talk about the following 15 types of violence, trying to address as much as possible the different criteria for transmitting broad information:
Violence according to the type of damage caused
- Physical violence
- Psychological and emotional violence
- Sexual violence
- Economic or patrimonial violence
Violence according to the type of victim
- Violence against women
- Violence against children
- Violence against the elderly
- Gender violence
- Violence due to sexual orientation
- Violence against people with disabilities
Violence according to the area where it occurs
- Domestic or family violence
- Violence in communities, in the streets and in public spaces
- Violence at school
- Violence at work
- Violence through the media and cyberspace
1. Physical violence
The first of the types of violence that exist is physical violence. According to the Law Against Intrafamily Violence: "Actions, behaviors or omissions that threaten or harm the physical integrity of a person."
2. Psychological and emotional violence
Following the same Law: " Any direct or indirect action or omission whose purpose is to control or degrade the actions, behaviors, beliefs and decisions of other people through intimidation, manipulation, direct or indirect threat, humiliation, isolation or any conduct or omission that cause damage to psychological health, self-determination, integral development and personal possibilities ".
3. Sexual violence
Among the different types of violence we find sexual violence. What is sexual violence? What situations does it include? According to the WHO: " Any sexual act, the attempt to consume a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or innuendo, or actions to market or otherwise use a person's sexuality through coercion by another person, regardless of the relationship of this with the victim, in any setting, including at home and in the workplace. "
4. Economic or patrimonial violence
This type of violence is defined according to various areas:
- In the family sphere: "action or omission of whoever affects or prevents adequate attention to the needs of the family or any of the people referred to in this law; damages, loses, steals, destroys, retains, distracts or is appropriates objects, instruments or goods. "
- At the national level: "includes attacks by larger groups motivated by economic profit, such as those carried out with the purpose of disrupting economic activities, denying access to essential services or creating economic division and fragmentation ”.
- In violence against women, according to the LEIV: “actions, omissions or conducts that affect the free disposal of women's assets; including damage to common or own property through transformation, theft, destruction, distraction, damage, loss, limitation, retention of objects, personal documents, property, values and patrimonial rights. Consequently, acts of raising, simulation of alienation of movable or immovable property will be null; whatever the patrimonial regime of the marriage, including that of the non-marital union ”.
5. Violence against women
Another type of violence is that which occurs against women. How is this type of violence described? According to the UN: “ any act of violence based on belonging to the female sex that has or may have as a result physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering for the woman, as well as threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation freedom, whether they occur in public life or in private life ”.
6. Violence against children
Among the different types of violence that exist, one of the most worrisome is violence against children. According to the Law for the Protection of Children and Adolescents: “girls, boys and adolescents have the right to have their personal integrity respected, which includes physical, psychological, cultural, moral, emotional and sexual integrity. Consequently, they may not be subjected to any form of violence, such as abuse, exploitation, mistreatment, torture, punishment or inhuman, cruel and degrading treatment. "
7. Violence against the elderly
According to the WHO: "perform a single or repeated act or fail to take certain necessary measures, in the context of any relationship in which there are expectations of trust, and that cause harm or anguish to an older person."
8. Gender violence
According to the Spanish Law on Comprehensive Protection Measures against Gender Violence, approved in 2004, this type of violence is defined as that which "as a manifestation of discrimination, the situation of inequality and the power relations of men over women, is exercised on these by those who are or have been their spouses or by those who are or have been linked to them by similar emotional relationships, even without coexistence ".
Here you will find more information about the types of gender violence, definition and their characteristics.
9. Violence due to sexual orientation
According to Doctors of the World, this type of violence can have different expressions, “from discrimination for the exercise of their rights such as denial of employment or educational opportunities, harassment, interference in their privacy, sexual assaults, to torture, mistreatment and murder with hate motives. All these are frequently aggravated by the experience of other forms of violence , hatred, discrimination and exclusion, such as those based on race, age, religion, disability or economic, social or other status ”.
10. Violence against people with disabilities
11. Domestic or intra-family violence
Another type of violence is that which happens in the home or between family members. Any action or omission, direct or indirect, that causes damage, physical, sexual, psychological suffering or death to the members of a family and the ways in which it manifests itself can be psychological, physical, sexual and patrimonial violence. In the following articles we talk in depth about domestic violence and intra-family violence.
12. Violence in communities, in the streets and public spaces
This type of violence includes street crimes, assaults, road violence, gangs, homicide, rapes… Any crime that occurs on public roads.
13. Violence at school
Within this class of violence we can differentiate two types:
- Violence inside the school, as various forms of abuse and discrimination among schoolchildren.
- That which occurs from school to young people, such as the one produced by the imposition of discipline models that violate human rights.
14. Violence at work
Among the types of violence that exist, we find violence in the workplace. Violence at work or workplace harassment is “any form of systematic and repeated aggression –common psychological abuse– by one or more people against another person, even against others, in the workplace, constituted by a sequence of hostile, degrading or intimidating, specifically aimed at - or resulting in - breaking their communication networks in the environment, isolating them from their environment to reinforce their position of dominance, legal and social, and regardless of the injury specifically achieved with respect to their physical health or psychic ”. This type of violence is also considered violence against women. In the following article you will find information about the types of workplace harassment or mobbing.
15. Violence through the media and cyberspace
Closely linked to symbolic violence. This type of violence includes the dissemination of images that instigate violence such as cyberspace practices known as sexting (dissemination or publication of sexual content produced by the sender) , grooming (adults who gain the trust of children for the purpose of of sexual satisfaction) cyberbullying (harassment of a minor towards another minor through insults etc… using technology) and sextortion (blackmail through sexual content either videos or images of the victim).
Here you will find information about what is and how to prevent sexting, what is and how to prevent grooming and the causes and consequences of cyberbullying.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Types of violence, we recommend that you enter our Legal Psychology category.
Bibliography- Iborra, I. & Sanmartín, J. (2011). How to classify violence? Taxonomy according to Sanmartín. Criminology and Justice (1) , pp. 22-31.
- World Health Organization (2020). World Health Organization.
- World Health Organization (2003). World Report on Violence and Health.
- Rivera, AM (2017). Module II. Typology of violence.