Citation

Feuille C. J. Law Med. Ethics 2020; 48(Suppl 4): 179-182.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1177/1073110520979420

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This commentary responds to and problematizes Kimmel and Rowe's approach in "A Behavioral Addiction Model of Revenge, Violence, and Gun Abuse." By advancing an addiction model of retaliatory violence, Kimmel and Rowe medicalize behavior that is better understood as a social problem rooted in structural inequality. Reframing violence in terms of individual pathology abstracts it from social context and risks obscuring the need for structural change. For poor urban communities of color, who are disproportionately impacted by gun violence, medicalizing violent behavior may fuel further marginalization and oppression.

Language: en