Entering and leaving the tunnel of violence: Micro-sociological dynamics of emotional entrainment in violent interactions

Evidence from close ethnographic observations, photos, videos, and interviews show that persons in violence-threatening situations experience the emotional state of confrontational tension/fear ( ct/f). This emotion constitutes a barrier that makes most violence abort. Given one of several interactional patterns that allow violence to proceed past this barrier, violence is largely clumsy, imprecise, and uncontrolled. Moments of violence are...