Aggression in Teens

Psychologically ‘Aggression’ refers to the behaviour by one person or persons intended to cause harm to another person or persons’. In the extreme form, aggression may end up in destructive behaviour towards another person or animal or even objects, such as breaking a TV or something which is valuable.

Your teens are exposed to aggression and violence everywhere, like violence on media, on the road, within families, and also in public places. All of these have a strong impact on your teen’s personality and behaviours. They will tend to imitate the aggressive behaviours of others, as witnessed by them in their life and tend to consider aggression as an acceptable part of their life.

Leonard Berkowitz (1969) explains that aggression is caused when you are trying to attain or reach a goal and there is an obstruction on the way.

Continued Aggression and Unchecked violent tendencies may lead to Conduct disorders

These disorders are marked by persistent antisocial behaviours in adolescents. That result in significant problems and distinctly lowered performance in academic and non-academic areas. This also adversely affects their social functioning. That is in terms of interacting with peers, siblings and family members including parents.

Conduct disorder is usually marked by two major symptoms:

1. Aggression
2. Delinquency

This  Aggression may be directed towards people, e.g. peers, classmates, animals, like cruelty towards animals or objects, or destroying property, etc. The aggression can also turn towards self in terms of self-harm and suicidal tendencies.

On the other hand, delinquency refers to antisocial behaviours which include lying, stealing, physical and sexual assaults (especially in adolescence). That is running away from home and school termed as truant behaviour.

If Your teen is showing a conduct disorder in adolescence, that might often continue into adulthood unless appropriate and timely interventions are taken.  Their aggression and delinquent behaviours become high-risk factors. Teens these behaviours are considered forerunners of antisocial behaviour and alcohol/substance abuse in adulthood.

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