habit that must be broken." (307)
             We've all heard numerous stories about violence in the workplace, but what exactly is the definition of violence? According to a University of California San Francisco web site, posted March 1998, an act of violence is described as: A physical act, whether or not it causes actual bodily harm to another person or damage to the property of another. (150-27) The site also goes on to list intimidation with the meaning: A physical or verbal act toward another person, the result of which causes that person to reasonably fear for his/her safety or the safety of others; as well as threat of violence: A physical or verbal act which threatens bodily harm to another person or damage to the property of another. (150-27)
             Workplace violence may not be as random as many people think. Studies show that workplace violence can be predicted. Often we think the employees with the "loud mouth" should get all the attention, when in fact it is the "quiet guy" that may have all the symptoms of "going postal," a phrase commonly associated with workplace violence. (Perry)
             The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have identified workplace violence as a major public health concern. In response to this problem, the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University Of Louisville School Of Medicine has initiated a major scientific study of workplace violence. To date over 750 incidents of workplace violence have been examined. Each incident is analyzed with respect to demographic characteristics of the perpetrator, motivation for the attack, situational variables influencing the event, perpetrator psychopathology, warning signs prior to the attack, and effectiveness of management strategies. The data is used to categorize incidents having common characteristics and develop specific interventions to prevent v...