Addressing Social Violence in Costa Rica: Recommendations from the College of Professionals in Psychology

2024-07-03 18:18:53

At the College of Professionals in Psychology of Costa Rica

Due to the growing wave of violence that, in its various manifestations, the Costa Rican population is suffering, returning to the concern of a significant number of its members about the matter and in view of the responsibility and ethical commitment of our School, the Board of Directors of the CPPCR, to publicly communicate the following considerations and recommendations.

Starting from that:

1. All the indicators of violence show a growth curve in recent years, with a level of generalization that covers almost any form of its expression.
2. Social violence is one of the main conditions that deteriorate people’s mental health and overall well-being.
3. Social violence manifests itself in different forms, with different actors and situations. Without prejudice to this, this violence must be accepted comprehensively, in its multiple consequences and origins.
4. Because they have different and complex manifestations, it is counterproductive and dangerous to reduce these great phenomena to a “psychological” vision of reality. That is to say, although certain situations can and must be explained and addressed to specific people, their immediate neighborhood and their “inner world”, this cannot be removed from its socio-historical context which gives it meaning. . The explanation and approach to violence includes a subjective element, but it does not end there; Therefore, it is necessary to go to a wider social perspective, related to other disciplines and knowledge.
5. The generalization of this violence requires consideration of the deterioration of the quality of life for the majority of the population. Since the 1990s, all indicators show an alarming increase in the social gap and a systematic decline in the standard of living of the majority of the population. We went from being a country with large medium sectors and a low lack of security, to one of the worst places in Latin America and among the OECD countries at the moment. Factors closely related to this growing decline are the systematic cutting of social programs and the concentration of policies aimed at favoring small sectors driven by political clientelism, as well as favoring increased processes of corruption.
6. It is clear that the system has failed broad sectors of the population, so there is a growing fatigue among the public, which leads to resentment, anger, hopelessness and aggravation because they do not see their their greatest need to solve a feeling of deception by the country’s political class. These emotions are a perfect breeding ground for the development of a culture of violence.
7. At the same time, there is disillusionment, disagreement and anger in turn in favor of authoritarian political options, based on the growth and alarming role of drug trafficking in our countries, where they establish their business and recruit people , especially young people. These circumstances accelerated the normalization process of violence and help to legitimize it as normal social interaction.
8. Within this dynamic of growing violence, there is a redirection of negative feelings towards certain groups that receive more emphasis on the emotional burden and the processes of exclusion, directed mainly against children and adolescents, against people with disabilities , against migrants, against women, against. LGBTIQ+ people and against older adults, among others. In this regard, it is too big and at aggressive levels. Actions aimed at particular individuals must be understood in that wider socio-cultural context.
9. All of the above are supported by the current dynamics of social networks, in which anyone is easily accused, judged and punished, with consequences as serious as, for example, suicide in adolescents. In the same way, the increasingly sophisticated marketing apparatus must be looked at and aimed at generating and reinforcing compulsive consumption patterns, by systematically reinforcing habits, attitudes and behaviors that are contrary to the culture of peace.

In view of the above:

1. This Board undertakes, as a matter of urgency, to promote the broad participation of all colleagues in reflection days that allow, in open dialogue, a deep analysis of this entire situation and the construction of the best alternatives for confrontation. It is also committed to incorporating and managing the recommendations that emerge from this analysis process.
2. This Board gives a general encouragement to its members so that, in their professional activities, they take as an urgent task the consideration and adoption of possible measures to foster more understanding and supportive human relations. This is an ethical and responsible requirement for our work.
3. We exercise the utmost caution regarding gender violence, given the characteristics and dynamics of the cruelty it is taking. The measures to be taken must cover the short, medium and long term, extending or correcting what has been done so far.
4. We ask the press and the public who use the various platforms to be extremely careful when publishing and revealing scenes of attacks, mutilations and murders. Exposure to these materials may lead to worsening processes in order to model certain behaviors and to increase the feeling of insecurity. Similarly, we ask members to be interviewed in the media, so that they do not recreate short-term, simplified or hyper-individualized visions of this painful and complex phenomenon.
5. We ask the whole community to try to develop a culture of peace and to resolve conflicts peacefully and through dialogue. The Comprehensive Conflict Resolution Center (CIREC) is available to the College, which will be run by professionals with extensive training and experience, able to work together for this purpose.
6. In our opinion, more investment must be made in the areas of education, health, security and research organizations. Therefore, we respectfully, but strongly, call on the government to modify its social policies. We also give a clear warning about the short, medium and long term consequences of not correcting the line being imposed. If the current orientation is not modified, we predict a deterioration in dimensions and undoubted consequences.

AD-Hoc Commission to address Social Violence in Costa Rica of the CPPCR.

The original article can be read here