Resources on the Topics of Unacknowledged Aggression, Violence and Trauma by Selena E

Resources on the topics of unacknowledged Aggression, Violence and Trauma by Selena E. Sermeño, Ph.D

Note: I use the terms “the work of..” rather than give specific articles or citations because when addressing unrecognized aggression and violence, it is important to look at a belief system, not simply a research study. The works mentioned below involve researchers and practitioners looking at a paradigm shift on how we conceive of violence and aggression.

1.  The work of social psychologist, Dr. Brad Bushman, referred to as the Myth Buster, which has appeared on NPR, BBC. Psychology Today, ABC News, CBS News, Jim Lehrer News Hour, and others. Dr. Bushman challenges several myths: a. media violence does not produce aggression, b. venting anger reduces aggression, c. violent people suffer from low self-esteem, d. violence and sex sell products, e. warning labels reduce audience size.

2.  The work of the Nieman foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. The 2009 Conference on Covering Violence and Tragedy produced many papers on the impact on journalists of covering tragedy. This work has significant implications for those of us working with children and families after the media or sensationalistic impact of the story is gone.

3.  The work of the Ochberg Society addressing the ethical coverage of traumatic events, conflict and social issues, www.ochbergsociety.org

4.  The work of Dr. Jack Saul, a public health psychologist. He and others such as Seamus Kelters, Marc Cooper and Anna Di Lellio, address the importance of truth, accountability, reconciliation commissions through truth and public telling.

5.  The work of Evelyn Linder and the Human Dignity and Humiliation Studies Network, addressing the role of dignity and humiliation on human suffering, http://www.humiliationstudies.org

6.  The work of Parker Palmer and the Center for Courage and Renewal, which looks at the more subtle aspect of violence and the role of contemplative practice in its healing, www.couragerenewal.org

7.  The work of Dr. Greg Ellison, author of the book, Cut Dead but Still Alive, addresses the issue of structural violence, marginalization and invisibility on African American males.

8.  The work of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at Columbia University dedicated to ethical coverage of trauma, tragedy and conflict, www. dartcenter.org

9.  The work of Drs. Felitti and Anda on toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences, www. acestudy.org

10.  The Bully Society by Jessie Klein great book on the crisis of bullying in our schools.