NCJ Number
178628
Journal
Northwest Education Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: Spring 1999 Pages: 40-47
Date Published
1999
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This article examines the causes, early warning signs, and ways that schools and parents can address violence.
Abstract
Psychologists generally agree that extreme aggressiveness, especially in boys, tends to appear early, cuts across socioeconomic lines, and, without effective intervention, can continue in a progressive developmental pattern toward violence. Researchers who study aggressive children have found that without early and effective intervention, bad behavior tends to remain consistent no matter how parents and teachers respond. The greater the number of risks to which a young child is exposed and the longer the exposure, the more likely he will see the world as a dangerous place and develop into a hostile, self-centered adolescent who reacts aggressively to real or imagined slights. Some of the early warning signs of aggression and violent behavior are social withdrawal; the harboring of feelings of isolation; the expression of thoughts about violence in writings and drawings; having been a victim of violence; and the expression of uncontrolled anger. This article presents a number of core principles from research and practice that can assist schools and parents in preventing and responding to violent children and youth.