People don't just "nap" and become violent?? says de Becker?? whose clients include federal government agencies?? celebrities?? police departments?? and shelters for battered women. " is a process as observable?? and often as predictable?? as water coming to a boil."earning to predict violence is the cornerstone to preventing it. De Becker is a master of the psychology of violence?? and his advice may save your life. --Joan Price
Gavin de Becker : Your question contains much of the answer: today??s world?? " terror and tragedy seem omnipresent..." The key word is "seem." When TV news coverage presents so much on these topics?? it elevates the perception of terrorism and tragedy way beyond the reality. In every major city?? TV news creates forty hours of original production every day?? most of it composed and presented to get our attention with fear. Hence an incident on an airplane in which a man fails to do any damage is treated as if the make-shift bomb actually exploded. It didn??t. Imagine having a near miss in your car?? avoiding what would have been a serio"lision--and then talking about every hour for months after the fact. Welcome to TV news.
To the second part of your question?? No?? the world is not a more violent place than it has ever been?? however we live as if it were. The U.S. is the most powerful nation in world history--and also the most afraid.
Question: Your bestselling book The Gift of Fear gives many examples to help readers recognize what you call pre-incident indicators (PINS) of violence. What role does intuition play in recognizing these signals?
Gavin de Becker: Like every creature on earth?? we have an extraordinary defense resource: We don??t have the sharpest claws and strongest jaws--but we do have the biggest brains?? and intuition is the most impressive process of these brains. It might be hard to accept its importance because intuition is often described as emotional?? unreasonable?? or inexplicable. Husbands chide their wives about " intuition" and don??t take it seriously. If intuition is used by a woman to explain some choice she made or a concern she can??t let go of?? men roll their eyes and write it off. We much prefer logic?? the grounded?? explainable?? unemotional thought process that ends in a supportable conclusion. In fact?? Americans worship logic?? even when it??s wrong?? and deny intuition?? even when it??s right. Men?? of course?? have their own version of intuition?? not so light and inconsequential?? they tell themselves?? as that feminine stuff. Theirs is more viscerally named a " whatever name we use?? it isn??t just a feeling. It is a process more extraordinary and ultimately more logical in the natural order than the most fantastic computer calculation. It is our most complex cognitive process and?? at the same time?? the simplest.
Intuition connects us to the natural world and to our nature. It carries us to predictions we will later marvel at. "how I knew??"we will say about the chance meeting we predicted?? or about the unexpected phone call from a distant friend?? or the unlikely turnaround in someone??s behavior?? or