Taking stock of third parties and violence at situational and neighborhood levels of analyses

When thinking about violence, we often only consider two people: the offender and the victim. Yet, in many cases, multiple people are involved. A stranger may observe from a distance, a friend may join the fight, a police officer may intervene. In this dissertation, I examine these "third parties.” First, I consider why third parties might provide support to women during fights. I find that there seems to be a norm that protects women from violence, and this is partly due a norm about protecting people who are perceived as vulnerable. It seems that support for women is inhibited, however, because men’s fights with women are often with intimates and in private. Second, I consider why disputes are more likely to end in violence when they are in the presence of third parties. I find that people tend to use violence in front of others to maintain their self-image. Whether someone physically attacks someone else depends on whether they think they have approval from third parties. It seems, however, that the presence of third parties first motivates verbal aggression which then tends to escalate toward violence. Finally, I examine how interaction between residents is connected to violence across communities. I find that getting together with neighbors, when done in moderation, may be associated with lower levels of violence within a neighborhood. When residents are getting together daily or weekly, however, there may be more violence. In other words, when it comes to having dinner with your neighbors, you can have “too much of a good thing.”