NCJ Number
49288
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: (JULY 1978) Pages: 309-321
Date Published
1978
Length
13 pages
Annotation
AN AESTHETIC THEORY OF SCHOOL VANDALISM IS PROPOSED WHICH FOCUSES ON THE ROLE OF ENVIRONMENTAL OR STIMULUS CHARACTERISTICS OF DESTRUCTION; TESTS OF THE THEORY ARE SUMMARIZED AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES ARE OUTLINED.
Abstract
NUMEROUS ANECDOTAL ACCOUNTS SUGGEST THAT AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN VANDALISM IS THE ENJOYMENT ENGENDERED BY THE DESTRUCTIVE ACT. DESTRUCTIVE PROCESSES, AS DO CONSTRUCTIVE CREATIVE PROCESSES, INVOLVE THE TRANSFORMATION OF MATERIAL INTO NEW STRUCTURES. THE POSITIVE HEDONIC VALUE OF A STIMULUS IS DETERMINED BY ITS POTENTIAL FOR ELICITING AROUSAL OR DEAROUSAL. STIMULUS VARIABLES ASSOCIATED WITH THE DEGREE OF PLEASURE OR INTEREST OF THE STIMULUS INCLUDE ITS COMPLEXITY/SIMPLICITY, ITS PREDICTABILITY OR CONGRUITY, AND ITS NOVELTY. IN GENERAL, COMPLEX, SURPRISING OR INCONGRUOUS, AND NOVEL STIMULI WILL HAVE GREATER PLEASURE-AROUSING POTENTIAL. PSYCHOPHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS SUCH AS INTENSITY, SIZE, AND COLOR ALSO INFLUENCE THE DEGREE OF AESTHETIC ENJOYMENT. THUS, IF ALTERATION OF THE STIMULUS OBJECT CAN MAKE IT MORE PLEASING OR INTERESTING, SUCH A CHANGE MAY BE MADE EVEN IF IT INVOLVES SOCIALLY DISAPPROVED OF ACTION. DURING DESTRUCTION ITSELF, ENJOYMENT IS DERIVED FROM THE VISUAL, AUDITORY, AND TACTILE-KINESTHETIC STIMULI WHICH ACCOMPANY THE ACT OF RAPID TRANSFORMATION (E.G., DESTRUCTION). FOLLOWING COMPLETION OF THE DESTRUCTIVE ACT, THE APPEARANCE OF THE OBJECT CAN AGAIN BE DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF THE AESTHETIC VARIABLES, AND ANTICIPATION OF POSTDESTRUCTION APPEARANCE MAY BE AN ADDITIONAL FACTOR IN THE DECISION TO DESTROY A PARTICULAR OBJECT IN A PARTICULAR MANNER. THUS, THE APPEARANCE OF THE STIMULUS OBJECT MAY PROVIDE VANDALISM-ELICITING CUES, AND THE STIMULI ASSOCIATED WITH THE ACT MAY SERVE TO REINFORCE LATER SIMILAR ACTS. A SERIES OF EXPERIMENTS INDICATED THAT COMPLEXITY OF THE STIMULUS OBJECT INFLUENCES THE DESIRE TO DESTROY THE OBJECT, THAT SURPRISE AND COMPLEXITY INCREASE THE PLEASURE EXPERIENCED DURING DESTRUCTION, AND THAT DESTRUCTIVE DECISIONS INVOLVED ASSESSMENTS OF THE LEVEL OF PLEASURE INVOLVED AMONG VARIOUS CHOICES. INTERVIEWS CONDUCTED WITH 129 MALES, 18-20 YEARS OLD, PROVIDED FURTHER EVIDENCE THAT AESTHETIC CONSIDERATIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN VANDALISM. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH INTO THE AESTHETICS OF VANDALISM ARE MADE. PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS FOR DECREASING THE LIKELIHOOD OF VANDALISM BASED ON THEORY IMPLICATIONS BOTH FOR ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL MANIPULATIONS AND FOR EDUCATION AND COUNSELING ARE MADE. NOTES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)