"violence" is just too generic a word to promote meaningful dialogue here, in my view.

I think one must differentiate between aggression, which is usually inacted to get something one wants, and narcissistic rage, which is the result of narcissistic injury. Suicide is then better understood as a response to the many narcissistic injuries of life.

Is our country more violent? Hmmmm, we are a nation of aggressive people, bent on getting more of what we want. We also create great narcissistic injury and therefore narcissistic rage in segments of our people such as the poor as a result of powerlessness and discrimination.

Daily life is full of interactions which create shame and narcissisitc injury and narcissistic rage. Empathic attunement goes a long way in reducing the negative effects of narcissistic rage. But what do we do about our aggressiveness???????????