SHARE With recent worry about mass shootings and gun violence in the United States, one of the questions that always comes up is whether violent media promotes violent or aggressive behavior. Although the issue is often presented as controversial in the media, we have pretty good evidence that exposure to violent media does make children more aggressive. In one of the most well-known studies on this topic published all the way back in the sresearchers showed preschoolers a video of an adult playing with an inflatable doll.
Remember that not all kids who are aggressive become violent. Striking out gives him back a sense of power. If kids are gaining power by being violent, the first thing that you have to do is take away the power by not tolerating the violence.
Violence is a seductive shortcut to power. Many times, parents need a comprehensive behavioral program to manage this problem.
As the parent, you have to teach kids problem-solving skills so that they have an alternative way of dealing with these situations and feelings. The following are steps you can take to help your child: Set Limits Accept no excuse for abuse.
Write this on a piece of paper and put it on the refrigerator. Hold your child responsible for his or her violent behavior no matter what the justification. Remember, being verbally provoked does not justify a violent response. Hold Kids Accountable and Give Consequences Make sure there are consequences attached to those limits that you set.
And make sure those consequences are set up as learning experiences. Monitor the Media in Your Home Not all kids listen to violent rap or metal music and then come down and be nice at dinner.
Monitoring and excluding violent media, including TV, videos, music and computer, gives the whole family the theme that violence is not going to be glamorized in your home.
Let me be very clear: Children who are treated violently often grow up to be violent adults. My advice to them is to seek it as soon as possible.
Also, parents should understand that if they become violent because their child is unmanageable or out of control, it is still against the law.
Violence in Younger Kids If you have a younger child who is displaying violent or destructive behavior, think of it as a warning sign. First of all, be very aware of violence in younger children, because kids who are five, six and seven who use violence to get their way have an extraordinarily high rate of being violent as teens and young adults.
Violent behavior at this age would include hitting other kids, biting, and kicking on a consistent basis to get what they want. With younger children, a system of consequences and rewards that you use consistently can be very helpful in curbing violence.
Many kids are under-socialized and need extra patience and teaching to learn these skills. The Threshold between Roughhousing and Violence: Kids are excessive and need adults to set limits on both the intensity and frequency of physical roughhousing or verbal teasing.
So for those parents, the answer is really simple: By the way, the issue of verbal abuse and threats is also very real, and I intend to address that in an upcoming article. For parents who are uncertain about the threshold between roughhousing and violence, here are some guidelines: If someone gets hurt it has to stop, even if both parties want it to continue.
If the physical roughhousing is in retaliation for something, it should be stopped. If the physical roughhousing is designed to dominate a younger, smaller child, it should be stopped.
If the roughhousing is done at the wrong time or in the wrong place, it should be stopped.When high schools have strong interscholastic sports participation rates, they report lower levels of major crime and fewer suspensions, according to a new University of Michigan study.
The research includes violent behavior and attempted rape among major crimes, and suspensions involving five or more days out of school.
“Sport participation opportunities within a school might operate to. Vol. 56 / RR-7 Recommendations and Reports 1 The Effectiveness of Universal School-Based Programs for the Prevention of Violent and Aggressive Behavior. This research suggests that violent media can cause aggressive behavior in children, and that this behavior can be incredibly problematic if the violent media includes guns.
Physical Punishment and The Development of Aggressive and Violent Behavior: A Review Elizabeth Kandel (June, ) Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire. Feb 12, · Many psychologists argue that violent video games “socialize” children over time, prompting them to imitate the behavior of the game’s characters, the cartoonish machismo, the hair-trigger rage, the dismissive brutality.
The first step in preventing school violence is to understand the extent and nature of the problem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Justice gather and analyze data from a variety of sources to gain a more complete understanding of school violence.