Symbolic violence: what it is, examples and consequences

Symbolic violence is a concept introduced by the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu that emphasizes the way of dominant relationship of one person with another to establish a social asymmetry that generates inequalities considerable. This idea has been put into practice by various populations that saw the opportunity to impose laws, regulations and cultural representations to respond to particular interests. However, the paradox of this concept is that it generates a benefit at the expense of another's damage. Currently, many people impart their ideas without taking into account the damage they can cause to environments they frequent. In order to detect these types of traits in time, it is important to have specific and precise information in order to have tools that reduce or avoid unpleasant effects.

In this Psychology-Online article we will talk about the symbolic violence: what it is, examples and consequences.

Index

1. What is symbolic violence
2. How to detect symbolic violence
3. Examples of symbolic violence
4. Consequences of symbolic violence

Symbolic violence consists of a way of exercising a power relationship between people through the imposition of symbols, norms and meanings. As its name indicates, this type of violence is not exerted through physical force, but through the use of words and inscriptions that generate a benefit for whoever exercises it. In contrast, there is a sector of society that is significantly harmed by such impositions.

One of the aspects to highlight is that symbolic violence can be implemented by groups, institutions and/or specific people who have a specific objective of domination. In this sense, the use of language is the main tool that conveys the power relations that are established in society.

In this article you will find information about other Types of violence and their characteristics.

Symbolic violence can be detected from specific indicators that allow its understanding. Next, we will need this information:

• Analysis of discriminatory stereotypes: discourses that lead to discrimination of social groups due to various circumstances are installed and are displayed as naturalized messages that are not questioned by society.
• Observation of social and cultural contexts: the spaces in which visual representations and concrete meanings are imparted may indicate the presence of symbolic violence.
• Listening to marginalized discourses: the isolation of social sectors as a result of the diversification of power relations means that certain people do not have the possibility of expressing any opinion about what has happened to them. happened. For this reason, it is important to actively listen to those discourses that have been marginalized.

In society, there are a wide variety of examples of symbolic violence. In this section, we will talk about the best-known models:

objectification of women

In many social media and advertising fieldss, women are treated as objects that can be dominated according to the interests of specific groups. Although this idea was more frequently presented in previous decades, it still persists on some occasions today.

For example, this is the case of advertisements in which a scantily clad woman is shown and a man ordered her actions to please him. Here we explain How to prevent gender violence.

homophobia

Although homosexuality has been integrated into society thanks to the implementation of laws that allow marriage between two people of the same sex, there are still social sectors that exercise marked discrimination against this sexuality, as well as the rest of the acronyms of the collective LGBTI+

Delimited roles

This type of patriarchal violence could also be associated with the idea of ​​the man as the provider of money and food for his family and the woman as the person who cooks, washes and cleans the house. In this way, women look unable to work outside the home and men lack household skills.

Another example of this theme can be found in the widespread misconception that a man should not show his emotions because that would make him weaker and more vulnerable.

Symbolic violence has extremely unfavorable consequences for the development of daily activities that are carried out in society since they affect the way of interpreting reality. Here are the most important consequences:

• low self esteem maintenance: as a result of the discrimination imparted by symbolic violence, it is common for many people to see their personality affected and have feelings of inferiority. In relation to this, it is possible that large devaluations occur.
• Appearance of psychological disorders: the perpetuation over time of symbolic violence can lead to mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, depression, among others. In this sense, each diagnosis has a specific level of complexity and there is a risk for one's own person as well as for third parties.
• Social exclusion: There are social groups that are excluded from various social activities as a result of the high discriminatory content that symbolic violence has. People who suffer from asymmetrical power relations are left out of many areas of social integration.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to Symbolic violence: what it is, examples and consequences, we recommend that you enter our category of Social psychology.

• Calderone, M. (2004). On Symbolic Violence in Pierre Bourdieu. Article published in "The Communication Plot" Vol. 9, Yearbook of the Department of Communication Sciences. Faculty of Political Sciences and International Relations, National University of Rosario.
• Pena Collazos, W. (2009). Symbolic violence as Biopolitical reproduction of power. Latin American Journal of Bioethics, 9 (2), 62-75.