My recent research has come across an MA thesis from 1979 by a former SSU student, Robin Mark Freeman. Here is my review of that MA thesis.
The Author discussed the connection between emotional alienation and violence. His rationale is that young children are taught emotional alienation by modern technological society, and that alienation is also reinforced by the educational system.
What I believe the author has added to the literature is his use of aesthetics theory to develop an ethics of the "Good", and use that in the same way, and in conjunction with, the scientific method. Both are necessary he says to create an environment conducive to integrating and balancing the child into society. He says the alienation is due, in part, to our over-reliance on the quantitative (hard) scientific method, and not enough on the qualitative social and behavioral (soft) sciences. He believes that emotions can be quantified, using aesthetic theory, and teaching children how to evaluate their emotional responses to their environment.
Whether trauma causes alienation or alienation causes trauma is not really the point. It is probably a feedback loop anyway, each causing the other and being caused by in return. But I think the author is absolutely right in pointing out that social and emotional alienation contributes to violence and that our current "official" educational philosophy only perpetuates the problem.
The author has done research on both quantitative and qualitative transformational education theory research (cited in his bibliography), showing that a curriculum for integrating the child into a peaceful society can be done. This MA project does not recommend integrating the child into modern society as it is, but helping children to deconstruct both society and its educational system and then growing up to create a different, more peaceful society as adults.
The author also admits that education is not the only problem with our alienating society, but it can be one of the solutions.
