That was the second point in my post above; that giving in to our violent instincts feels good. We may soon regret a violent act but at the moment it happens, it feels great.

My own violent outbursts were, predictably, before I had become properly socialized. Life for a teenager in the mid to late 1950s contained quite a lot of violence. Most young males were on a hair trigger just because it was the accepted norm among our peers. As in Tweed's experience, there were gang fights following sporting events between rival schools. But there could also be gang fights between loosely organized groups of kids based on turf. Violence or the possibility of violence was also needed to seem sexually attractive to the girls. That isn't to say one needed to be a bully, but you definately couldn't be a victim. You needed to seem a little dangerous and you needed dangerous friends.

I remember punching a guy out one time at a hootenanny at the home of some adult friends. I was doing my best to embrace non-violene and pacifism as a philosophy and lifestyle when another guy decided to mock both me and my very hot new girlfriend by grabbing her in an inappropriate way as he passed her chair. Everyone was shocked and we tried just leaving quitely to avoid a scene. But in a bedroom, while packing instruments and donning coats, the guy came in with a big smirk on his face and I just let him have it. It fealt great! Still makes me smile to think about it. We were immediatly ushered outside where he seemed combative so I let him have it again. My girlfriend would have admired the pacifist response but she really admired having her honor defended.

But I think that just reinforces my premise that violent behavior is instinctive and is built into our genetic heritage. By the way, I think women are still attracted by the possibility of violence in a male partner. That may be genetic coding as well.

      - Mark