Hypothetical Speech by Dr. Joby

¶ … Hypothetical Speech by Dr. Joby Taylor of UMBC on Abnormal Psychology and Non-Violent Approaches to Conflict Resolution

Joby Taylor, a faculty member at UMBC, a member of the Peace Corp, and Director of the Shriver Peaceworker Program has worked in a number of different areas. Two of these areas are conflict resolution and abnormal psychology. In one of his speeches, he discusses the impact of mental illness on conflict resolution. What is interesting is that Taylor links the prevalence of mental illness to the prevalence of violence in society. He suggests that many of us have abrogated our social responsibility to bring about peace. Beginning with a proposition that every person has the ability to approach conflicts thoughtfully in their own lives and relationships, Taylor's discussion of the relationship between mental illness and violence suggests that the failure to take on this responsibility not only harms society, but also harms the individual (Taylor, 2009). Only by pursuing peace can people reach their fullest potential, and failing to do so stifles people and creates discord that is at the root of much modern mental illness.

Having grown up in an American society that glorifies violence at all levels, Taylor's message was difficult to hear. He used an example of how a culture of violence helps transmit mental illness from an individual and through a community. He used the recent school shooting to highlight his example. In response to a clearly mentally ill individual shooting up a school full of children, many people responded by calling for increased regulations on gun ownership. Others responded almost immediately with a defense of their right to own the same type of weapon that killed those children. The fervor with which people began defending, not just their right to own those type of weapons, an academic issue, but also their choice to so, a lifestyle issue, revealed just how deeply ingrained violence is in American culture. That this was the response to a tragedy by such a large portion of society is indicative of not just a failure to respond to violence with peace, but perhaps a reason why our society is so dependent upon violence.

In fact, Taylor did not only address abnormal psychology on an individual scale, but also discussed how it informs cultural ideals and norms. Taylor spoke about terrorism and how a culture of terrorism impacts the people in the culture. In many ways, what he described about those who join terrorist organizations mirrors what I already know about people in bad neighborhoods who join gangs. They are not necessarily bad people, but people whose choices are so limited and whose fear is so great that a violent choice seems to become the most rational choice available. Taylor did not seem to suggest that this type of abnormal psychology running throughout an entire culture can be fixed by an outsider approaching the culture. However, he did seem to think that how the United States responds to those innocent people who live in the countries where terrorism thrives can help shape cultural attitudes and norms towards people in the United States. I have to agree with him because of what I understand about how U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan after Russia's war with Afghanistan helped shape attitudes towards Americans in Afghanistan, overly aggressive behavior that results in civilian deaths will result in an increased risk of terrorist attacks, rather than the desired decreased risk. Furthermore, I believe that Taylor is right that we have to examine how this nationwide desire for vengeance impacts the American psyche. If striving for peace is critical to individuals achieving their full potential, then it seems equally clear that peace is necessary for a country to reach its full potential. The U.S. has been involved in wars on multiple fronts for the last decade. Therefore, I have to agree with Taylor that this is having a negative impact on our collective psychological health, and I think this can be seen in the increased divisiveness in our culture.