Aggressive Trends

Parent-Child Aggression

© Melanie Lamprecht

Read on to find out more about aggressive trends and how parents' agression affects the child.

How does parent aggression affect the child?

In a study, Duman & Margolin (2007) analyze children’s interpretation of their parents’ interpersonal perspective, principally their parents’ aggression. Historically, there is the suggestion that parent’s aggression can affect the children’s own social problem-solving proficiency.

In the social learning theory it is apparent that the framework offers an understanding as to why parents’ aggression is applicable to children’s aggressive problem-solving strategies.

Various authors agree that the findings add to the minute but rising literature signifying that parents’ own aggressive problem-solving tactics have implications for the children’s aggressive and pushy problem solutions with peers. Additional research is required to scrutinize how parental effects might lead children to act cognitively and emotionally in a conflict-increasing or de-escalating response.

On the flipside Anderson & Bushman (2002) remind us that parental beliefs are often projected onto their children. Various kinds of beliefs play a significant role in aggression and it is apparent that aggression-associated beliefs significantly calculate future levels of aggressive behavior.

Aggressive trends

It is probable for people with trends towards aggression to become overly aggressive individuals. GAM justifies those efforts to alter overly aggressive individuals become progressively less successful as these individuals grow older. Well-rehearsed and easily reached knowledge structures are naturally difficult to modify because of the rise in life experiences and typical explanation of the social world and because there are so many means by which maladaptive knowledge structures can be learned.

It is therefore important to note that the most profitable interventions seem to be those that tackle several causes of potentially maladaptive information environments at a fairly young age.

From an evolutionary point of view, the species also entails a capacity and inclination to work unselfishly in social groups. Numerous ordinary social requests are apparent and frequently seen in the writings of scholars across many fields of psychology. One such list might include the needs to:

1. Believe that others observe the self positively (social esteem);

2. Examine oneself positively (self esteem);

3. Believe the world as a just place, if not here then in the hereafter;

4. Fit in to a social group;

5. View one’s group optimistically (group esteem).

It is possible to assume that people with aggression would find these areas in their life difficult to manage. For example a child who develops into becoming more aggressive in the long run will encounter a change in friendship relationships and dealings with family members and teachers. Such a child is likely to be a social outcast, mixing with other aggressive children and being rejected by peers that are more adaptive socially. Connections with teachers and peers fall to pieces as well. Basically, the child’s social situation develops into a more aggressive and confrontational environment.

References

Anderson, C.A., & Bushman, B. (2002). Human Aggression. Annu. Rev. Psychol. 2002. 53:27–51.

Anderson, C.A. & Carnagey, N.L. (2004). Violent Evil and the General Aggression Model.Chapter in A. Miller (Ed). The Social Physiology of the Good and Evil (pp168-192)

Duman, S., & Margolin, G. (2007). Parents’ Aggressive Influences and Children’s Aggressive Problem Solutions with Peers. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology2007, Vol. 36, No. 1, 42–55


The copyright of the article Aggressive Trends in Child Psychology is owned by Melanie Lamprecht. Permission to republish Aggressive Trends must be granted by the author in writing.




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