ABSTRACT
Psychological battles take the place of physical conflict, and the takeovers, feuds and 'broken hearts' that result are seldom fatal. Large-scale societies attempt to forbid or limit internecine feuds at the small group level with varying success. Coups and revolutions occur when a powerful group within a large-scale society attempts to wrest power from the leaders. The International Work Group on Death (IWG) is a group of clinicians, researchers and educators, from many countries, who develop research and practice dealing with death, dying and bereavement. Violent behaviour seldom occurs out of the blue. All of the foregoing factors influence the formation of strategies which sometimes inflame the situation and establish or perpetuate a cycle of violence. Given the global danger of cycles of violence in an age when weapons of mass destruction are available, it is surprising that similar attention has not been paid to the study and legislation that are necessary if we are to eliminate these cycles.
