“My child can be so sweet and loveable. Then all of a sudden, they will lash out for no reason at all. I just don’t understand why?” For some households, situations like this happen. Some parents have to deal with aggressive behavior from their little ones and/or teens almost on a daily basis. Is there any way to cope with the problem?
Aggression is defined as causing intentional injury or harm towards another person. But in order to find out the solution we need to know what causes aggression. Many psychologists have several viewpoints as to the cause of aggression. Some feel that the behavior is born within us, like that of animals, resulting in a cause and effect as to why a person reacts in an aggressive manner.
Some may ask, is there any way to stop being angry? No, since as humans, we are born with emotions that make us happy, sad, and angry; it would be difficult to stop being angry all together. An article in Health magazine by Dr. Georgia Witkin-Lanoil explains, “As the brain reacts to an infuriating event, the autonomic nervous system is aroused. Adrenaline, released from the adrenal glands, begins to pour into the bloodstream, increasing heart rate and respiration, and stimulating the release of stored sugars for energy. Actions we take under the influence of our own adrenaline are often overreactions. We scream, hurl hateful semi-truths, hit, and damage, destroy, or leave the scene in a huff.” Therefore, it is an inward inclination to be angry over an event or something we have no control over.
But we have to keep in mind that people's level of temperaments varies, as some of us appear to be more prone to anger than others. Ones that display high levels of anger are teenagers. Some of them turn to violence in order to cope with family problems, or, are involved in gangs, drug abuse, and/or suffering from mental illnesses.
In addition, younger children can display high levels of violence. Most of the factors that contribute to such violence in children is from being exposed to actual violence between family members, or violence on television, which has increased dramatically within the past decade.
It can really test a parent’s patience to remain calm when their kid is acting out towards them. Nevertheless, the worse thing for a parent to do is antagonize their kid, as a way for them to answer you immediately, if you are sensing something happened with them. Just walk away and let them (or you) cool off a bit, then afterwards try to communicate with your child to see what the problem is, and maybe find a way to fix it.
However, if the child is still acting aggressive, sometimes professional help is needed. The least thing a parent should do is retaliate in violence as well.
Whether aggression is part of our nature or is a learned behavior, keep in mind, we can have control over our anger. The thing that separates us from the animals is that we have the gift of free will. There is a line between calmness and anger; it is our choice which one we want to choose when faced with a stressful situation.
Written by: Bridget Campos
Originally posted on May 4, 2009
Link: http://sahmanswers.com/news.php?readmore=726
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