He seems like a very miserable person. He's probably too prideful to admit his life sucks ass. Anyone who is that violent must be projecting something through that violence.
Your right on the money with the first part, He's quite aware his life sucks he's also not to happy that he's garnered so much attention for being "himself" but he's far to prideful to change how he acts and behaves and in addition to that he has a ego to rival Kanye Wests reinforcing his beliefs that he's right and every one else is a shitlord, it's not helped that he's incredibly dumb and will act before really thinking about what he's about to say or do and he can't plan ahead longer than a few days at a time.
The second part is a little more complex, when he's violent for the most part it's because he's frustrated. You know the way Chris struggles with conversations longer than a few sentences or when they deviate from the path he thinks they are going to take or
his emotions get the better of him? Well that last part is what caused him to hit his Mum, when he get's backed into a corner emotionally or intellectually the little part of his brain that's barely in control of his fight or flight response say's "
Fuck it, I can't deal with this" and shuts down so he lashes out because he can't control his reactions to stressful situations very well.
Just before I go a little deeper into this I'd like to share something I have wondered about for a while, Say when he hangs around the edge of a group protest that's likely to attract Police attention and something serious happens like a major arson, serious assault, etc and he get's pulled in by the Police. He's in a interrogation and the police are pressing him apart from cowering at first to the authority they posses (
he really is a coward make no mistake, he's genuinely terrified by the police) what would happen in a prolonged interview when he's tired, hungry, emotionally and intellectually stressed? Sadly I don't have a answer to that hypothetical but I have to admit it's interesting to think about.
Now back to Phil, he often claims to have been violent to try and expand his image as a urban commando fighting for the rights of the oppressed person of the moment, in as far as he call's his Tardbucks a Battleship and has even been pulled up on this by the former owner of the Red and Black Cafe about him trying to look tough. This even as some of his
friends admit is all just a front to try and make him look tough (same goes for the way he dresses) and he always try's to show off that he's tough and has a knife there is two problems with this image:
1) Every single time he's gotten into a fight he has had his arse kicked and his ego pushed back in.
2) He run's afoul of the old bar fight adage, "Scrag the gobby fucker first because his mates will piss there pants" what's not included in that succinct bit of life advice is, The gobby fuckers normally the one to try and start shit an is the fist to run when things get rough and when they have a skin full are the most likely to try something with a weapon.
He's idealised violence because he equates it to power and he knows he's utterly impotently powerless but want's to look and feel powerful and dominating (
considering he's a sub this is quite a funny metaphysical dichotomy) and when he feel's he's in company that will either belive his bull shit or at least wont call him out on it to his face he'll try and big himself up as such, but will scarper at the first sign of trouble and this is what's landed him in trouble in the past and lost him friends.
Also finally because Potato boy read's here every chance he get's I'll point this out, Real power isn't causing fear in others or getting compliance through acts of violence, Real power and genuine respect is having the ability to cause harm to people and making them fear you and not ever having to do so because your a nice person who people want to be friends with, and on the rare occasions you have to act you do so as a last resort and never to excess you solve the problem quickly quietly, never inflicting punitive harm on some one an never using excessive means to do so and most importantly it is NEVER instigated by YOU.