Towards the typology of violence: A descriptive model

Abstract

The attempt is made to identify and summarize the forms of violence that are known through the history, such an attempt being a necessary preliminary stage in the building of a multidimensional classification. The following forms of violence are identified: 1) violence as a specific attribute that is inherent to Homo sapiens existence that distinguishes Homo sapiens from the animals; 2) armed violence; 3) military violence; 4) violence in support of the existing social system; 5) innovative violence; 6) social and political violence; 7) culturally sanctioned violence; 8) criminal violence; 9) violence as retaliation; 10) symbolic violence; 11) non-violence. The characteristics of terrorist violence are considered in detail.