Controlling Vandalism: The Person-Environment Duet

Most efforts to understand and reduce human aggressive behavior—toward other persons or toward property—focus upon the perpetrator. Regardless of whether the persons making these efforts are specialists or members of the general public; teachers, psychologists, sociologists, or criminologists; theoreticians, researchers, or practitioners; or individuals concerned with prediction, prevention, rehabilitation, or public policy, the person or persons actually committing an aggressive act are almost always the primary target(s) of attention. Who he or she is, the person's relevant background experiences, history of similar behaviors, mood and rationality at the time the act occurred, and related intraindividual matters are the typical issues addressed. The abuser's parenting; the delinquent's early temperament; the student offender's personality traits; the vandal's hormonal levels or television viewing habits; and other in-the-person markers are posited, examined, and held responsible. In most attempts at explaining aggression, aggression is viewed as in the perpetrator, by the perpetrator, and from the perpetrator. This chapter presents an alternative view.