Older children and teens may gossip about peers or spread rumors about them on social media. Bullying is a common type of aggression. Both boys and girls can be physically or socially aggressive. But boys often express anger in a physical way. Girls tend to be socially aggressive. The reasons some children are more aggressive than others are complex.
Some children may be born with an aggressive personality. They may be more impulsive than other children: They act without thinking about what might happen. They may learn to be aggressive by being around angry adults and peers. Nonaggressive children often don't want to be around them, so aggressive kids can spend time with other aggressive kids, which encourages more aggression. Aggression also may be a sign of a health problem such as bipolar disorder or ADHD.
But having these conditions doesn't mean that a child will be aggressive. Parenting an aggressive child can be hard and tiring. You may feel overwhelmed, embarrassed, and even angry yourself. But help is available for you and your child. With patience, support, and help, most children can learn to handle conflict without harming others. All children have to learn how to deal with anger and frustration.
Many toddlers go through a phase of temper tantrums, where they yell and scream and swing their arms and legs when they're upset. School-age children may throw things or get into a fight on the playground. As they grow, most children learn from adults—and from other children—how to express anger or handle conflict in a way that doesn't hurt others. Aggression is a problem if it happens often and gets your child in trouble at home and at school. Aggression may be a sign of a problem called oppositional defiant disorder ODD.
Children with ODD may have tantrums and talk back to their parents or other adults. If this hostile behavior gets worse, it can lead to a more serious problem called conduct disorder. Older children and teens with conduct disorder may break rules, skip school, and steal or destroy property.
Conduct disorder is linked to depression, substance use disorder , dropping out of school, and crime which can lead to going to jail or prison. If a child of any age shows repeated aggression for 6 months or more, it may be a sign of ODD. Older children usually have to show a pattern of severe aggression for a year before they are diagnosed with conduct disorder. A child or teen's home life and other surroundings can raise the risk of aggression.
Children may become aggressive if they:. To see if your child has a problem with aggression, a pediatrician or a mental health professional will ask about your child's behavior at home and at school.
Does your child act out of control and have trouble calming down? Does your child throw things? Does he or she get in fights with other children? How often do the outbursts happen? Are they occurring more often? The doctor or counselor may watch your child at home or at school.
Your child's teachers also may be interviewed. Your child may have a physical exam and tests to see if he or she has a health problem that could cause aggression or make it worse. Counseling is the main treatment for aggression in youth. National Center for Biotechnology Information , U. Iran J Public Health.
Author information Article notes Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Received May 21; Accepted Jul Dear Editor-in-Chief Aggression is a behavior that might be accompanied by violence and agonistic behavior. Acknowledgements The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests.
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Psychol Bull , 1 : A longitudinal investigation of alcohol use and aggression in adolescence. J Stud Alcohol Drugs , supplement 11 : 62— Courtship violence: incidence in a national sample of higher education students. Violence Vict , 6 4 : — Tapper K, Boulton M. Social representations of physical, verbal, and indirect aggression in children: Sex and age differences. Aggressive Behavior , 26 6 : — Making an appropriate response can help the other person to manage their emotions, even unconsciously.
For example, an assertive response instead of a passive or aggressive one can help move the other person to become more assertive, rather than aggressive. We all want to be listened to, especially when we are talking about something that is important to us.
You may recognise these emotions in someone else, or you may come into contact with someone who is showing the signs of aggression see our page on What is Aggression?
When you do so, it is important to allow the other person time to express themselves fully. Listen to what they have to say and to encourage them to tell you the problem. An open, friendly approach helps to define your relationship as a supportive one, rather than one of confrontation. Show empathy and understanding about their situation. This shows that you have understood not just the situation, but also their feelings. You can also say how sorry you are that they feel like this.
Care should be taken not to reinforce aggressive behaviour, particularly through behaving angrily or defensively yourself. There are a number of factors that make an individual less likely to behave aggressively. These may be related to the individual, the environment, or the other people involved. For example, individuals who are fairly passive by nature will be less likely to become aggressive.
People are also less likely to be aggressive if they have experience of aggressive behaviour not being rewarded, or believe that aggression is unlikely to help. A calm environment, where most people feel comfortable, and where people are treated with respect, is therefore less likely to generate aggression. It is also much harder to be aggressive if everyone around you is behaving calmly and respectfully towards each other and you. If you work in an organisation that regularly has to deal with aggressive people, you may find it helpful to consider whether you could make any changes to the environment that might make aggression less likely.
For example, a less formal environment, or a more egalitarian approach, may be less intimidating—and therefore less threatening—than desks and barriers.
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