Tempering Tantrums Now May Prevent Aggression Later
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=tempering-toddler-tantrums
Summary:
As babies grow, they quickly enter the toddler age, often called "the terrible twos." Temper tantrums, which sometimes include kicking, screaming, or even biting, are common at this age. However, a small number of children exhibit greater violence than others. These fits are difficult to calm and are often destructive.
This behavior is normal because children are developing a sense of individuality, while at the same time, experiencing new desires and emotions. When denied something, a child becomes angry and disappointed, causing him to feel helpless. A lack of knowledge of how to deal with these new feelings provokes a child to act in sever ways.
Although a toddler's temper tantrums might pass, the violence may not end there. Psychologist Susan B. Campbell states that children who display violence at a young age have a fifty percent chance of having similar reactions during early adolescence. Many factors contribute to a child's behavior, including genetics and the environment. Genetics determine the frequency of a child's physical aggression. Speech problems also contribute to this because the child becomes frustrated when trying to communicate.
A significant role in a child's behavior is played by the parents. Psychologists suggest that different parenting styles encourage different behaviors in a child. A parent who is demanding is more likely to raise an aggressive child than one who is calm and explains the guidelines to the child.
Since early aggression can lead to violence in adolescence, programs have been made to help prevent violent behavior in children. Different approaches include mental empowerment and increasing a child's awareness. Another way to improve a child's temperament may be to diminish language barriers by working with children and teaching them different ways to deal with their strong emotions. While these methods prove to be helpful, researchers are constantly searching for ways to reduce aggressive behavior in children of all ages.
Response:
I've always known that different parenting styles influence a child's behavior, but this article has helped me understand why children have temper tantrums. Contrary to what I thought, little children just don't know how to express these strong emotions, which are so new to them. Although I don't dismiss a child's ability to have some decent control over his actions, I now see how parents, as well as others, can work with the child to improve his understanding.
4 Comments:
Wow! The part about the tempur tantrums stemming from speech problems was very interesting. We have a lot autistic children at my church and now I understand better why they struggle so much. Some of these kids throw tantrums because they literally can't communicate. That would be so frustrating. Your summary was very complete and easy to understand. Good job!
I understand Helen Keller's childhood behavior better now! She must have been so frustrated not to be able to express what she felt. She had no idea how to communicate because she couldn't see or hear anyone else communicate. I always thought her parents' had bad parenting skills, but her fits probably weren't their fault at all. It must have been so agonizing for her not to understand what was going on or express her feelings. Your summary was easy to follow and insightful at the same time!
This article really helped me to understand aboud kids and why they have temper tantrums. They are just frustrated and don't know how to express it. I never knew that a child's genetics determines how often a child has physical agression. This article was really interesting and informative.
I somewhat disagree with the fact that just because children don't know how to express their feelings, they should be allowed to have temper tantrums. However, I do think that it is part of a parent's job to teach their children diffrent methods of expressing their feelings. I beleive that, in most cases, a child will only dispaly behavior that they think is acceptable and if they beleive that temper tantrums are acceptable then that is the kind of behavior that they will display. In the same way, if they understand that a temper tantrum is not acceptable, then they will use other methods to express their feelings.
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