Gender Specificities and Differences in Alcohol Related Violence

Benson, D and Archer, J (2002) “An ethnographic study of sources of conflict between young men in the context of the night out”, Psychology, Evolution & Gender, Vol 4 (1).
This paper describes an ethnographic study of male values and interpersonal conflict in the context of evening social events in the North of England. The study involved participant observations, assisted by discussions with 'guides', and interviews with participants. It became apparent that the understanding of conflict required appreciation of the social context, 'the night out'. Important themes that are described include the following: the perceived aim of the night out ('to have a laff') and different ways this was achieved; the appraisal of other men; provoking situations; the sequence leading up to aggressive verbal exchanges and to fights; the role of alcohol; the importance of physical aggression in gaining status; the importance attached to responding to a challenge or insult by men and women; age differences; and 'banter' and story-telling among all-male groups. The findings are discussed in relation to previous ethnographic observations of physical aggression between men in bars, and are interpreted within the framework of evolutionary psychology.

Brain, P.F. (1997) ‘Alcohol’s Effects on Physiology and “Aggression”: What is the Nature of the Link?’ In S. Feshback and J. Zarodzka (eds.) Aggression: Biological, Developmental and Social Perspectives, New York: Plenum Press.

De Crespigny, C (2001) “Young Women, Pubs and Safety”, in: Williams, P (eds) Alcohol, Young Persons and Violence. Canberra: Australian Institute of Criminology .
This chapter presents findings and discusses key issues related to young women’s attendance at pubs, and related exposure to male-perpetuated violence. Recent findings in South Australia indicate that young women who patronise pubs report that they binge drink intentionally and weekly, prefer spirits, but usually consume full-strength beer at pubs. They are frequently at risk from their own hazardous drinking. However, in practice young women are more concerned about, and regularly affected by, the physical and psychological risks from being near or in contact with violent men in particular pubs, clubs and transport services. More effective strategies by licensees and security staff, underpinned by partnerships among legislators, service providers and community members, are required to better identify and respond to, and thus prevent and reduce, the harms associated with violence that currently impact on young women

Dyck, N (1980) “Booze, Barrooms and Scrapping: Masculinity and Violence in A Western Canadian Town, Canadian Journal of Anthropology (1), pp 191-8.

Graham K, Wells S (2001) “Aggression among young adults in the social context of the bar”, Addiction Research and Theory 9 (3), pp 193-219.
The purpose of this study was to explore the use of naturalistic observation and interview data to increase understanding of aggression in the social drinking context of the bar. Fifty-two incidents of aggression in bars were documented through interviews with 34 respondents aged 19-25, and 117 incidents were documented by male-female pairs of researcher-observers over 93 nights of observation, usually conducted between midnight and 2:30 a.m. on weekend nights. The data indicated that naturally -occurring incidents sometimes had no clear beginning or end and participants' roles often changed during the conflict (e.g., peacemaker to aggressor). Most incidents involved five or more participants; almost 3/4 of incidents involved only males; 2/3 of incidents involved at least moderate physical aggression; and 1/3 occurred partly or wholly outside the bar. Participants in incidents involving severe aggression or a larger number of participants tended to be more intoxicated than participants in less severe incidents with fewer participants. Four general issues were identified as triggering aggression: conflict with staff, bar activities, trouble making and offensive behavior, and interpersonal or relationship issues. The implications for research and prevention are discussed.

Graham K, Wells S (2003) “Somebody's Gonna get their head kicked in tonight!' - Aggression among young males in bars - A question of values?” British Journal of Criminology 43 (3), pp 546-566.
Qualitative methods were used to examine aggression among young males in bars in terms the role of alcohol, social context, cultural values, rewards and punishment, and motivations for aggression. Twenty-one incidents of barroom aggression described by men aged 20-24 in semi-structured interviews were reviewed for thematic content. According to participants, alcohol played a role by making participants less aware of risks, more willing to take risks, more stimulated, more emotional and more aggressive. However, male honour, face saving, group loyalty and fighting for fun were the main motivations for barroom aggression. The most notable explanatory factor for barroom aggression among young males in the study was an overriding general acceptance and even positive endorsement of aggression in bars, suggesting that greater attention needs to be paid to the cultural values that shape the attitudes and behaviour of some young men.

Lang, A.R. and Sibrel, P.A. (1989) ‘Psychological Perspectives on Alcohol Consumption and Interpersonal Violence’, Criminal Justice and Behaviour, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp 299-324.
This article selectively reviews psychological research pertinent to the role of drinking in interpersonal aggression. The underlying theme is that individual differences represent a neglected area in studies of the alcohol-aggression relation. Relevant expectancy surveys, popular beliefs about how alcohol affects aggression, and balanced-placebo experiments designed to disentangle psychological and physiological causes of alcohol-related behavior are reviewed in pursuing this theme. Finally, the scant evidence indicating how person variables might influence the determination of aggression through a drinking x person x situation interaction is summarized, and recommendations for future research are made.

Tomsen, S. (1997). “A Top Night: Social Protest, Masculinity and the Culture of Drinking Violence. British Journal of Criminology, 37(1), pp 90–102.
Abstract: Although a wide research literature suggests a regular connection between drinking, violence and social disorder, much doubt remains as to the actual nature and significance of this link, Some strong insights into this are provided by a dual consideration of the tie between masculine social identity aad heavy group drinking, and the importance of issues of male honour in the social interaction that leads to much violent behaviour. But as well as this, information from the author's detailed ethnographic study of assaults in Public drinking venues illuminates the subjective experience of participation in acts of disorder and violence. this is filtered through understandings of certain forms and aspects of popular leisure as entailing social protest and resistance to middle class morality. Although masculinist and frequently destructive, this violence is interpreted by many drinkers as providing a liberating and attractive sense of release, group pleasure and carnival.