Chapter 12 Notes- Handling Children’s Aggressive Behaviour:

Aggression: is antisocial behavior that damages or destroys property or that results in physical or emotional injury to a person or animal.

Four types of Aggression:

Accidental Aggression: When children hurt others without thinking during the process of play. An example would be stepping on a child’s fingers, as there is no harmful intent to injure.

Expressive Aggression: Is when a child derives enjoyment from a physical action that unintentionally hurts others or interferes with their rights. The aggressor’s goal is not to get a reaction from the victim or to destroy something; instead he or she is preoccupied with the enjoyable physical sensation of the experience.

Instrumental Aggression: When children are so intent on getting what they want or defending something that their physical actions inadvertently result in someone getting hurt. This often is seen when two children are fighting over the same toy and one or both of the children end up getting hurt. Neither child sought out to hurt the other, but both were just defending what they wanted.

Hostile Aggression: When children want to inflict pain on others. They use hurtful words or actions towards another individual. Outcome is that someone gets hurt or property is damaged.

Hostile aggression is expressed in two different ways:o Overt aggression: This is to harm others through physical injury or the threat of

an injury.o Relational aggression: damage to another’s personal status or self esteem; ie.

through gossip.

Assertiveness: is a socially acceptable alternative to aggression, when children express themselves or protect their rights while respecting the rights and feelings of others.

Factors which contribute to children being aggressive:

Biology: Scientists believe that human beings are biologically programmed to be aggressive, particularly when safety or other basic needs are threatened. The presence of high levels of androgen and testosterone have been linked to aggressive behavior.

The Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis: It is believed that a frustrated child is more likely to be aggressive than one who is contented.

The Distorted-Perception Hypothesis: When children see hostile intent where none exists.

Direct Instruction: When adults or older peers instruct children to use aggression to resolve a problem situation or obtain their approval.

Reinforcement: If aggressive behavior continues to be rewarded, children who demonstrate aggressive behavior develop feelings of power that further reinforce their negative actions.

Modeling: Children often act aggressively when they learn how to act by watching others.

Lack of knowledge and skills: Children sometimes resort to aggression because they don’t know what else to do when their goals are blocked or when they come under attack by another child.

Changes in Aggression over Time:

Younger children often resort to physical force to get their way. Older children rely more on verbal tactics.

Younger children most often engage in instrumental aggression. Hostile aggression becomes more common in later childhood.

Male/ Female Differences in Aggression:

Biology: males greater concentrations of testosterone, physical strength, and more vigorous motor impulses may contribute to higher levels of physical aggression.

Social Learning: physical aggression is more approved and reinforced for boys than girls. Alternatively, it is more socially acceptable for girls to manipulate and sabotage an adversary’s self-esteem or status

Both males and females who display high levels of aggression tend to be rejected by their peers.

Ineffective Strategies Adults use to reduce Children’s Aggressive Behaviour:

1. Physical Punishment: Their responses to children’s misbehavior, including those instances when youngsters exhibit aggression, is to resort to aggression themselves through strong physical punishment. Studies show however, that routine use of physical punishment promotes rather than lessens childhood aggression.

o Corporal punishment in the United States: Refers to the intentional application of physical pain as a method for changing

behaviour. Still practiced in some child care programs, elementary, middle and high

schools. Spanking is often conducted in the environment with parental permission.

2. Ignoring Aggression: Adults ignore children’s aggressive acts in the hope that those behaviours eventually will go away. This is a mistake as research shows that when aggression is ignored it often increases.

3. Displacement: Then children are encouraged when frustrated to leave the situation and take their anger out on a pillow or something else as a way to express their frustration.

4. Inconsistency: Adults who are all over the place in their approach promote increased aggression.

Effective Strategies Adults use to reduce Children’s Aggressive Behaviour:

1. Modeling: There are two ways adults can influence what behaviours children imitate:a. Modeling non-aggression through their own behaviour.b. Adults should treat children calmly and rationally regardless of the situation

2. Reinforcement: Children are more likely to repeat nonaggressive strategies for making their desires known when those strategies are rewarded.

3. Direct Instruction:a. Reducing the frustration in children’s lives; their appropriate structuring of the

physical environment is a excellent way to reduce potential frustration.b. Helping children feel more competent: Children who feel they have some control

over their lives are less likely to resort to aggression as a way to establish power.c. Fostering empathy among children: Children can be taught to recognize people’s

emotions, to imagine how victims feel, and to identify the negative consequences of their aggressive actions.

d. Teaching children prosocial behaviour: Kindness, helpfulness, and cooperation are incompatible with aggression.

e. Making it clear that aggression is unacceptable: When physical or verbal aggression occurs, adults must intervene before children experience the satisfaction of getting what they want through negative means.

f. Helping children recognize instance of accidental aggression: Providing accurate informational changes the child’s view of the purposefulness of the act and reduces the necessity for retaliation.

g. Rechanneling children’s expressive aggression: When carried out safely, kicking, pounding, throwing, and knocking down are appropriate physical activities for children. Children need to derive satisfaction from mastering the environment and their bodies by kicking and throwing a call as hard as they can.

h. Helping children de-escalate potentially aggressive play: Adults can head off the development of purposeful aggression by keeping an eye on children as they play and by watching for early signs of difficultly.

i. Teaching children alternatives to gun play: Adults need to explain to children that guns are serious business and are not treated as toys. Children should also be redirected into less violent play themes or into discussion of alternative means for resolving their make believe differences.

j. Teaching children to generate potential responses to the aggression of others: Adults should take children’s complaints of aggression seriously and intervene directly or model appropriate ways of handling problem situations.

k. Teaching alternatives to aggression through planned activities: Children who can envision a wide range of possibilities are less apt to resort to violence.

l. Teaching alternatives to aggression through conflict mediation: This involves waling children through a series of steps beginning with problem identification and ending with a mutually satisfactory solution.

Model for Conflict Mediation:

1. Initiating the Mediation Process: The first step is to assume the role of the mediator and by stopping the behaviour, separating the combatants, and defining the problem accomplishes this.

2. Clarifying Each Child’s Perspective: Clarifying the conflict based on the children’s perspective is the focus of step two. Ask each child in turn to state what he or she wants from the situation.

3. Summing up: When you have enough information to understand each child’s perception of the conflict. Define the problem in mutual terms, implying that each child is responsible for both the problem and its solution.

4. Generating Alternatives: Generating several possible alternative solutions takes place in the fourth stage of mediation. Suggestions may be offered by children themselves or volunteered by bystanders.

5. Agreeing on a Solution: Children will reject certain suggestions outright and will indicate that others seem more acceptable. This step is about children agreeing on a plan of action that is mutually satisfying.

6. Reinforcing the Problem Solving Process: The message to be conveyed is that the process of reaching the solution is as important as the solution itself. Acknowledge the emotional investment each child had in the original conflict and the hard work involved in reaching an agreement.

7. Following Through: This is accomplished by reminding the children what the terms were and, if necessary, physically assisting or demonstrating how to comply.

When Aggression becomes hostile:

Bullying: When an incident goes beyond the simple altercations common among children; they represent prolonged misuse of influence by one person or group of persons over another. It is estimated that over 80% of children experience bullying during early or middle childhood.

Victims of Bullying:

Passive Victims: Victims of bullying who do nothing to instigate the bullying. Passive victims seldom initiate the hostile attack and rarely assert their rights when it happens.

Provocative Victims: Victims of bullying who prompt aggressive reactions from others by crying easily; by becoming defensive or angry when it is not appropriate; or by misinterpreting joking or teasing as verbal aggression when that is not the intent.

Working with Victims: Children are less likely to be victimized if they possess verbal assertiveness skills with which to establish their desires and protect their rights. All children need support in developing these skills, but this is especially true for children who lack general language proficiency and social skills.

Dealing with bullies: Bullies cannot simply beshunned or ignored by adults in formal group settings. Such tactics push them beyond the bounds of normal circle groups, reinforcing their defiant style. Strategies such as self-talk, identification of emotions, figuring out behavioral cues that tell how others are feeling, and logical consequences.

Working with other children in the program: Any child may witness bullying at any time, so every child needs to know there are protections in place so they will not be victimized themselves or felt feeling helpless in the face of hostile aggression.

Bullying is likely to occur when:

Children are frequently left unsupervised Behaviour expectations are unclear and inconsistent Adults rely on autocratic or permissive discipline strategies Adults ignore bullying behaviour No preventative measures are taken to address bullying Children and adults lack the knowledge and skills to be bully-free There is poor communication between the home and the formal group setting

Dealing with Aggression in Formal Group Settings-General Strategies

1. Model nonaggressive behaviour2. Eliminate aggressive materials from your setting3. Structure the classroom environment to minimize potential frustration among children4. Remain alert to children for whom frustration is building5. Provide children with opportunities to feel competent6. Reinforce children’s behaviours that are incompatible with aggression7. Re-channel group play in which children are pretending to shoot one another with guns.8. Help children learn assertive language9. Set consistent limits on children’s aggressive behaviour10. Attend to victims of aggression11. Praise children when they attempt non-aggressive solutions to difficult situations.12. Explore alternatives to corporal punishment if it is practiced in your setting.

Handling Accidental, Expressive, and Instrumental Aggression:

1. Intervene when accidental aggression occurs2. Use substitution to respond to children’s expressive aggression3. Give children practice sharing, taking turns, trading, bargaining, and negotiating to get what they

want.4. Mediate Children’s Conflicts

Responding to Hostile Aggression:

1. Talk about bullying2. Make Specific rules about bullying and follow through on them.3. Help children distinguish between tattling and telling about bullying4. Help children explore ways to avoid becoming victims of bullying and what to do if they become

victimized5. Help children develop a repertoire of strategies for what to do if they witness bullying6. Coach children who engage in bullying in how to control their angry impulses7. Help bullies and victims learn to more accurately interpret social cues.

Communicating with Families:

1. Communicate to family members how you intend to deal with aggression in your setting2. Listen thoughtfully if family members report that other children are bullying their child.3. Talk with families of children who engage in bullying behaviour4. Support children who may witness or experience violence in their families

Major pitfalls to avoid when handling children’s aggressive behaviour:

Falling to lay the groundwork Ignoring developmental considerations Skipping medication altogether Denying children’s legitimate claims Laying blame Taking sides Denying a child’s perspective Masterminding