ABSTRACT
The opening chapter sets out the definitional and theoretical parameters of Sport, Violence and Society, and reviews some of the main social scientific approaches to understanding violence in society. The biological and psychological approaches reviewed include instinct theory, the frustration-aggression hypothesis, the hostile-instrumental approach, catharsis theory and reversal theory. The sociological approaches reviewed include social learning theory, the techniques of neutralisation approach, the violent subcultures perspective, figurational sociology, victimology and the sport ethic approach. Based upon existing definitions of violence and expanding them to include notions of human justice and victimisation, a fresh definition of sports-related violence (SRV) is offered. The chapter concludes by summarising the layout and content in the remainder of the book.
