According to the media Here Vaucluse, three young people, aged 14 to 16, allegedly violently attacked a veterinarian when he simply asked them… to make a little less noise in front of his clinic. An extremely shocking – and gratuitous – behavior which raises questions. How can we explain such violence in individuals barely out of childhood? Dr Serge Hefez, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, answers us.
A severely beaten veterinarian: the three young people placed in police custody
According to our colleagues, the events occurred Tuesday evening in a small town near Avignon. A veterinarian, visibly annoyed by unwanted noises, leaves his clinic to ask young people to calm down or leave the premises. But the situation quickly degenerates: the group throws a wooden pole against the cabinet window.
Faced with this provocation, the head of the clinic comes out. The tone goes up a notch. The group of teenagers start by insulting him, then quickly come to blows.
Beaten, the veterinarian now suffers from a dislocated shoulder and is temporarily incapacitated for work (ITT) for 10 days.
Since this incident, the perpetrators of the violence – reported by the practitioner – have been found by the police. These are three teenagers aged 14, 15 and 16, specifies Ici Vaucluse. And if during their custody the three young people admitted the facts, how could they get to this point? How can we explain such “gratuitous” violence? Here’s what our expert says.
“Young people evolve in a world cut off from reality“
If violence occupies such a place among young people, it would be in particular because of… the new images that they have before their eyes.
“Fed by screens, social networks, video games… and now artificial intelligence, young people evolve in a world cut off from reality. Their relationship with reality is increasingly disturbed. We saw this clearly with the Adolescence series (…). This disorder of relationships with reality affects many young people, particularly many young boys. They don’t necessarily have family problems, no violent past, nothing that would push them over the edge… and yet, they act out.” recognizes the expert. “However, what makes it possible is the shift into another dimension.”
A mulled humiliation, a feeling of revenge, and suddenly… they change dimension.
“They lose touch with reality, enter a world of hyperviolence… and that’s where the act occurs. Without empathy and without regret. This very lack of understanding of what death, mourning, suffering are, is linked to this “derealization.” Many young people no longer differentiate between the virtual world and the real world.” alerts the psychiatrist, who admits to being afraid “for the future.”
Indeed, to try to disarm young people, massive and global prevention must be put in place. “Because it’s not just a question of education. A true educational and health alliance must be created. And everyone should get involved: school, family, mental health professionals, businesses. We must build a shield to protect our young people.”
As for the restriction of social and mobile networks at school,
“it is crucial, but not sufficient”, underlines the specialist. Prevention must be widespread throughout the territory, in order to show young people the dangers.
“On social networks, young people feel a lot of emotions… but they don’t share them. These are useless and unused emotions: they accumulate in them. A real explosive reservoir… which has become a massive phenomenon“, concludes the doctor.