The Nature and Nurture of Aggression in Children
Document Type
Poster Presentation
Keywords
child, children, aggression, aggressive behaviors, behaviors, nature, nurture
Biography
My name is Sydney Rice. I am a senior at Marshall University. I am majoring in Psychology while minoring in Criminal Justice. I am interested in being a clinical psychologist and would particularly like to work with children.
Major
Psychology
Advisor for this project
Dr. Penny Koontz
Abstract
Abstract
This literature review will examine both the nature and nurture sides of aggression in children. There are also risk and protective factors that contribute to aggressive behaviors that will also be assessed. Aggression is assumed to be formed from a mix of how a child is biologically developed and what their environment provides. It is assumed that aggression levels in children are influenced by biological development and environmental influences. It is also hypothesized that aggression would be higher in children who were abused or neglected and had unstructured households, particularly for boys. Intervention options to assist aggressive behaviors could be child therapy and/or medication, parent therapy, or parent-child therapy. When observing the impact of the household, findings supported the idea that family household structure is a major influence in aggressive behavior, especially in the presence of non-biological siblings. A second major finding was that therapy with children alone was more beneficial to decreasing aggressive behaviors than parent or parent-child therapy sessions. Biological influences such as the formation of the amygdala and other specific parts of the cortex of the brain can influence aggressive behavior. Future research ideas may focus on longitudinal data examining the behaviors of children from early years into adulthood. Examining the role of parenting on brain development in children could also be ideal further research.
The Nature and Nurture of Aggression in Children
Abstract
This literature review will examine both the nature and nurture sides of aggression in children. There are also risk and protective factors that contribute to aggressive behaviors that will also be assessed. Aggression is assumed to be formed from a mix of how a child is biologically developed and what their environment provides. It is assumed that aggression levels in children are influenced by biological development and environmental influences. It is also hypothesized that aggression would be higher in children who were abused or neglected and had unstructured households, particularly for boys. Intervention options to assist aggressive behaviors could be child therapy and/or medication, parent therapy, or parent-child therapy. When observing the impact of the household, findings supported the idea that family household structure is a major influence in aggressive behavior, especially in the presence of non-biological siblings. A second major finding was that therapy with children alone was more beneficial to decreasing aggressive behaviors than parent or parent-child therapy sessions. Biological influences such as the formation of the amygdala and other specific parts of the cortex of the brain can influence aggressive behavior. Future research ideas may focus on longitudinal data examining the behaviors of children from early years into adulthood. Examining the role of parenting on brain development in children could also be ideal further research.
