Contents
Age and situational aggression in children
The word «aggression» is not always used by us in its true meaning. We say: the aggressor is the one who attacks, aggressive means angry, angry. In fact, aggression is not an emotion, not a motive, and not an attitude. Aggression is a pattern of behavior. And it is laid down in early childhood. So early it’s hard to believe. Imagine a woman in her last month of pregnancy who, feeling the jolts of a growing baby coming from within, says angrily: “Stop kicking!” And another woman who, in a similar situation, will stroke her stomach and, in response to the “signals” that the child sends, will say: “How great you play, baby! Grow up, play! Just try, please, next time not to hurt your mother so much. Surprisingly, but true: the child somehow hears our words, understands … and perceives as a guide to action. Therefore, in the first case, the baby is more likely to become aggressive than in the second. See →
Causes of child aggression
Aggression, which will be discussed in this article, can not be called healthy. The reasons provoking such behavior have a very real basis, and it is extremely important to know about it. After all, ignoring them, it is hardly possible to cope with manifestations of aggression. Let’s look at the most common reasons. See →
- «Family» causes of children’s aggressiveness
- «Personal» causes of children’s aggressiveness
- Situational causes of child aggressiveness
- Type of temperament and character traits as possible causes of children’s aggressiveness
- Socio-biological causes of child aggressiveness
What is child aggression
Experience shows that in the problem of child aggressiveness there is a significant gap between observations and some actions on this issue. They usually notice it very early, and they begin to sound the alarm much later, when much has already been missed and it is much more difficult to deal with existing violations. That is why in this article we will not talk about the aggressiveness of an asocial teenager, and not even about the aggressiveness of a younger student-fighter. As a rule, the above characters grow out of early childhood aggressiveness, not corrected at the appropriate place and at the appropriate age.
What are aggressive children in preschool age? We will talk about the causes of the disorder below, but for now we will describe the typical features of such a child. See →
Features of the manifestation of children’s aggressiveness
For many centuries, the child was considered as an adult, only small, weak and without rights, children were even sewn the same things as adults, only smaller. After the novels of Dickens, they started talking about the specifics of the child’s psyche — at first in the plane of literature, and the children seemed to be real angels: meek, kind, unhappy. And using a scientific approach, the psychology of childhood began to be seriously studied mainly after the works of Z. Freud, who proved the influence of events that occurred in childhood on the entire future fate of a person.
It quickly became clear that children are no more angels than adults, and aggressiveness is inherent in them to the fullest. See →
How to deal with an aggressive child
The increased aggressiveness of children is one of the most acute problems not only for doctors, teachers and psychologists, but also for society as a whole. The relevance of the topic is undeniable, since the number of children with such behavior is growing rapidly. This is caused by the summation of a number of unfavorable factors. The following are specific practical recommendations for parents and educators on how to properly behave with children who show aggression towards adults or peers. See →
If the child plays aggressive games
Today’s children have seen an increase in the number of games containing violence. Naturally, this cannot but worry parents and teachers.
The reasons for this phenomenon are rooted in the society itself, in which there is a lot of violence. The absence of widespread wars is perhaps the achievement of modern civilization, but does this mean that people are now free from fear and the need to be ready to defend their lives and dignity? Unfortunately no.
Try flipping through the TV channels. Even a couple of minutes of viewing will be enough to understand that most films and programs broadcast on television contain violence: blackmail, robbery, fights, coercion, terrorism, humiliation, disasters — and this is a small part of the list. Advertising seems to be the most positive under such circumstances, but it is in fact violence against our consciousness and the unconscious. Other media do not differ much from TV: the headlines of the newspapers are full of information about violence, it has found its way into books and radio programs, although, of course, the ratio of it varies in these sources. See →
How and what to play with an aggressive child
The first thing that is required of you, as an adult trying to help an aggressive child, is sincere sympathy, acceptance of him as a person, interest in his inner world, understanding of feelings and motives of behavior. Try to focus on the merits of the child and his success in overcoming difficulties (both external and internal), teach him the same. In a word, try to do everything possible to return the boy or girl self-respect and positive self-esteem.
The games and game techniques described below will help you implement these corrective directions. See →