WARNING SIGNS of VIOLENCE

What about life stressors?

By TIM KECK

Most healthy adults can handle one major life stressor at a time. Sure, they may experience intrusive thoughts, be distracted, make mistakes, and be irritable. But they’ll be okay. As the days pass, they will recover.

However, when someone experiences multiple major life stressors simultaneously, they may accelerate toward an unhealthy end. Because when it comes to major life stressors, one plus one isn’t two. It’s five.

When you become aware of someone having such an experience, you should monitor them closely. Support them if you can. Make a referral. Offer a listening ear. But at the very least, pay attention to their behavior.

When combined with other warning signs, this can be a yellow flag of someone heading down a path that may have a violent end.

Irrational Beliefs and Ideas

You may not be aware of this, but sometimes people believe crazy crap. You scoff, but it’s true. In his book “How Do You Kill 11 million People?” author Andy Andrews makes a convincing case that the answer to the title question is simple: You lie to them.

Some people are easily led astray by alluring ideologies or charismatic leaders. For the rest of us, these beliefs are totally foreign. From now on, when you hear one of these strange beliefs or ideas, especially one that espouses violence, pay a little more attention.

Although we only have room for two here, watch for more articles that tell you what to watch for.

SafeHaven Security Group helps organizations learn warning signs daily and interpret them correctly to avoid violence. Let us help you. The initial assessment is always free.

Tim Keck, Senior Consultant Safehaven Security Group tim@safehavensecuitygroup.com www.safehavensecuritygroup.com