ABSTRACT
The impact of violence can have a dramatic effect on the biopsychosocial dimensions of human health, thus making it a public health priority. The World Health Organization defines violence as follows: the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, mal-development, or deprivation. Tailhook, as interpreted by K. Abrams (1993), highlights the criticality of understanding the complexity and interrelatedness of wicked problems as well as in viewing a problem from a systems perspective. Institutional thought is integral to both wicked problem theory and the social-ecological model, and helps to deepen understanding of the influences on us as individuals and vice versa. The foray into the complexity of gender inequality in the US military and larger contexts complements earlier, far more textured discussion of acts of violence, disempowerment and the intersection with health.
