Where and when are you at risk to interpersonal violence? Historically the self-defense community has focused on controlling time and place. For example, do not go to dangerous you do not know and do not go alone, especially at night. Territory you are not familiar with coupled with self-isolation and darkness creates vulnerability and an inability to assess threats.
But in modern societies with densely populated urban centers the dangers of interpersonal violence can be nuanced and even at times counterintuitive. The reality is dangerous people might be coming to you, advantaging for position, using ploys, and attacking with virulency to get a payday. In this increasingly complex and nuanced environment it is important move beyond simple paradigms and explore time and place more situationally which is the focus of today’s discussion.
In section one will introduce where you are at risk exploring categories of places as a framework, as well as the concepts of transitionary spaces and resource pools which VO’s often target together. In section two I will introduce ‘when’ you are risk exploring temporal categories of risk under the acronym SHADE, as well as expanding on the notion that VCA decision making process is not necessarily bound to time and place, but rather to situation. Lastly in section three I will introduce the four stages of a violent crime helping you to further contextualize the ecology of a violent interaction in time and place.
Today’s article is intended to be integrated with previous articles from the Theory of Mind in Self Defense series including: 1) Who You Are and What is a Defensive Persona, 2) Who Is the Criminal Actor and What is the Target Selection Process, 3) Foundational Concepts and Legal Principles in Self Defense, and 4) The Realities of Violence. In doing so this will help you better predict, prevent and react to interpersonal violence with the goal of keeping you and your family safe.
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APR
2022