And It's Affect On Adolescent Learned Aggression

In the last few years, there has been a significant increase in the awareness of the causes of adolescent aggression. Recently, there have been many school shootings, gang violence, drug abuse, and date rapes that are associated with the younger population. The number of violent acts committed by children increase every day. Attribution to these growing statistics can be placed upon the break down of the family structure. Awareness of the affects of domestic violence, parental discipline, communication, and parent child interaction, on adolescent behavior has risen. The family has always had the biggest affect on childhood development, and this paper will attempt to show the significant relationship between the recent breakdown of the family structure and it's affect on adolescent learned aggression.

Social learning is behaviors or attitudes that are learned through the observation and imitation of others. In the case of adolescents, most of their social learning is either derived from their family, or their friends. To be socially competent, an individual must possess the social-cognitive ability to select and act on socially acc

Child punishment has also recently become a topic of public interest. Defining lines between punishment and abuse have never been drawn, but one thing is clear: More parents are being sentenced to prison today than ever before for child abuse in instances where the parents claim they were attempting to punish their child instrumentally. Instrumental aggression is where you inflict harm to obtain something of value. Perhaps parents today are afraid to inflict harm to their children even if it obtains something of value. Many children in America are abused today by their parents leading to negative aggressive behavior. Psychologist Deanna Szyndrowski treated a woman and her son who have reportedly been abused by the father. When observing the four-year-old boy interacting with other children Sxyndrowski observed vary aggressive behavior from the boy where he hit and cussed at the other children. This is not so called "normal four year old behavior," as stated by Szyndrowski. Though we may not know weather punishing your child with instrumental aggression, or through deprivation is a better means of punishment. We do know that aggression can be learned, and that emotional or hostile aggression toward your children will only cause them to be emotional and hostile towards others.

The famed psychologist Sigmond Freud tried to relate watching violent acts as some sort of catharsis for violent behavior, but statistics have shown results quite contrary to that of Freud's theory. Studies have shown that sexually aggressive images actually raise acceptance of violence towards women (Malamuth & Check 1981, Class Notes.) Furthermore, there seems to be a connection between the presence of aggressive stimuli, and aggressive behavior shown through increased heart rate, and personal survey. (Berkowitz & Lepage, Class Notes.)

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Approximate Word count = 1737
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)