Customer Reviews

Violence in Our Lives: Impact on Workplace, Home, and Community

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Dr. Carll provides a highly readable, and yet scientifically accurate strategy for systematically addressing the major public health hazard facing our nation today--violence. An internationally renowned expert, she possesses considerable "hands on" experience in effectively assisting victims of violence, in its many forms. Her highly practical reflections should be of considerable interest to concerned professionals and our citizenry alike. Her underlying message: As a nation, we need no longer be passive victims of acts of violence, interpersonal or environmental. We really do know how to make a difference.

The invaluable and most comprehensive information in this book strongly impels anyone who reads it to become proactive toward attempting to curtail, if not eliminate, the violence that exists in society today. The author discusses the various forms of violence we are presently facing, including workplace and community violence, domestic and intimate relationship violence, media depiction and coverage violence, including the impact on the family and community, and the secondary effects of crime and violence in the course of civic duty, targeting juror stress. What I find to be most unique in this book is the author's recommendations and practical solutions. They are not "pie in the sky," rather, realistic, sensible and attainable. Each one of us must contribute by first reading this book and passing it on to another, then making a visible, concrete effort to help alleviate the violence that does 'not' have to exist in our society today.

Unlike most other material written about violence, Elizabeth Carll gives a vivid description of the diverse forms of violence that exist in our society today, including family violence, violence in the workplace, random acts of violence in communities, and also media violence, and, in addition, offers practical recommendations aimed at eradicating existing violence and preventing reoccurrence. The techniques offered for professionals in mental health, the law and business are invaluable in that they are explicit as to means of prevention and, if needed, interventions that can be utilized including using more thorough pre-screening of employees, and conducting training seminars on recognizing and dealing with workplace violence. If crisis does occur, critical incident stress intervention (CISI), which encompasses immediate services as well as short and longer-term follow up as needed, is suggested. CISI is also expecially useful in the prevention of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (symptons such as re-experiencing a traumatic event through recurrent and intrusive memories/dreams, increased arousal manifested by sleep disturbances, temper outbursts, concentration difficulties, and exagggerated startle responses). In this book, the author creates an awareness of the extreme prevalence of family violence, especially violence against women, and the deleterious effects it has on children, including acceptance of violence as a normal response to frustrating situations, which may leave them at a high risk for eventually committing violent acts, themselves. Carll also devotes a chapter to covering media violence, including the media minimizing violence against women, displaying explicit sexual violence, and using violence as a form of entertainment. The long-term effects include desensitization to violence and suffering, learning aggressive behavior and becoming fearful of being victimized, many times resulting in increased distrust of others. The profile presented for identifying the potentially violent personality, highlighting characteristics such as having a history of aggressive behavior/continually blaming others for problems, an unwillingness to take responsibility for one's own actions, and social isolation leave all individuals without excuse for becoming more vigilant in our everyday lives in recognizing the warning signs and possibly warding off danger. Elizabeth Carll gives a comprehensive account of the various forms of violence that exist in our society today, and also strategic methods to identify, minimize, and eventually eliminate them, therefore, fostering renewed hope in an otherwise hopeless society.

As I write this review on the quiet week between Christmas and New Year's Eve, the headlines and news reports are filled with the story of a software tester at an Internet consulting company who wrought an angry vengeance at his former employee by killing seven co-workers. This shocking tragedy has become numbingly familiar to Americans living in a society saturated with violence. This incident underscores the importance and relevance of Dr. Carll's book.

Dr. Carll incorporates valuable contributions from professionals in various fields including mental health, law, business and criminal justice. The book discusses the ways in which violence occurs in the workplace, home and community, and provides a lot of practical approaches for tackling the problem. For example, Dr. Carll offers quick, effective interventions for individuals who have encountered a traumatic violent incident in the workplace. This includes the use of "critical incident stress debriefings" which are confidential structured group meetings that allow individuals to ventilate their emotions and reactions to the traumatic incident they experienced.

In the chapter on Workplace and Community Violence: Intervention and Prevention, Dr. Carll shows how despite increased public awareness, employers continue to neglect the impact of domestic violence on the workplace. She therefore proposes a comprehensive workplace domestic violence program that is particularly sensitive to the needs and concerns of domestic violence victims.

This book is thoughtful, well organized and detailed while still being accessible and very readable. I highly recommend it not only to clinicians, but to anyone seriously interested in understanding and addressing the problem of violence in American society.

The invaluable and most comprehensive information in this book strongly impels anyone who reads it to become proactive toward attempting to curtail, if not eliminate, the violence that exists in society today. The author discusses the various forms of violence we are presently facing, including workplace and community violence, domestic and intimate relationship violence, media depiction and coverage of violence, and the secondary effects of crime and violence in the course of civic duty, targeting juror stress. What I find to be most unique in this book is the author's recommendations and practical solutions. They are not "pie in the sky," rather, realistic, sensible and attainable. Each one of us must contribute by first reading this book and passing it on to another, then making a visible, concrete effort to help alleviate the violence that does 'not' have to exist in our society today.