Psychology of violence in school: aggressors and outsiders Causes of aggressive behavior in children and adolescents The study of aggression and violence has been and remains an area saturated with controversy. Discussions about violence are complicated by interpersonal, political and scientific implications. Most scientific discussions revolve around the question of the source of aggression and violence in society and whether it is inherent in human nature or its causes are inherent in the structure of society. Aggressive behavior is conditioned by social connections and relationships. Aggression can be justified and used for the purpose of defense, or destructive and used for the purpose of attack. It can be expressed in various forms and manifestations and have a hidden, open, individual or group character. The aggressive behavior of children is influenced by a complex of factors: personal factors (low level of education, inadequate low self-esteem, high impulsivity, abuse of alcohol, drugs, computer games, willingness to take risks, limited sense of self-preservation); behavioral factors (behavior that interferes with others, vandalism , aimless pastime, absenteeism and poor school performance, early sexual contacts, police reports and early criminal records); social factors (cult of violence in society, media influence, deviant behavior of parents, low socio-economic status of the family, dependence on social assistance, change of teachers (stepfather, stepmother), family and sexual violence, friends with deviant behavior. Intrafamily conflicts (divorce of parents, the appearance of another teacher, a second child in the family, inflated demands on academic performance, which do not always correspond to the abilities and capabilities of the child). disadvantaged families are more likely to become delinquents than children raised in good, prosperous families. Overprotection or indifference on the part of parents can also provoke aggressive behavior in a child. Personal problems (the onset of puberty and related physiological and psychological problems). Dissatisfaction with one’s own appearance, inadequate perception on the part of adults: “I’m an adult, but They treat me like a child.” The development of critical thinking allows a teenager to question the actions of adults and protest against their morality. Problems with academic performance and labeling (teachers and parents say that the child is incorrigible, poorly educated or stupid). For underachieving students, aggressive behavior is one of the means by which they compensate for their poor performance. Social reasons (the cult of violence formed in society, the influence of the media, overcrowded classes, irritation and fatigue from school). Adolescence, the period of maturation, puberty, has always aroused and continues to arouse interest among researchers. Rapid biological development and the desire for independence in adolescents cause difficulties in relationships with adults and peers. Just yesterday, an obedient and calm child who studies diligently at school and enjoys attending various clubs and sections, today is an irritable and aggressive rebel who has practically lost interest in school and abandoned his previously favorite activities. A. Bandura and R. Walters describe “passive melancholy” and “aggressive self-defense” as the most typical behavior patterns for adolescents. The status of aggressor and victim can quickly change or move from one to another. In order to identify and classify typical aggressors and victims, you can use the research of the Norwegian scientist D. Olweus. According to his data, “aggressors” are approximately 8-10% of the total sample of his school survey, and “typical victims” are approximately 7% of schoolchildren. 3-4% of respondents are equally both offenders and victims. He classifies almost a quarter of students as “occasional offenders,” since theyirregularly manifest themselves as school delinquents. The researcher characterizes more than half of the schoolchildren as “not participating.” School bullies are most often male. “Typical aggressors” behave defiantly towards peers and adults. They are impulsive, dominant, less sensitive to pain and prefer violence as the most convenient means of resolving controversial and conflict situations. In addition, “aggressors” are distinguished by a low threshold of frustration and insufficient control in situations of passion. They are physically stronger than their classmates and other peers, especially those whom they persecute and choose as “victims”. Children who become dubiously popular as "bullies" in elementary school lose their status and become less respected and influential in high school, but not as unloved as typical victims. Most aggressors are self-confident, strong individuals, with a demonstrative, provocative manner of behavior. School teachers note that, observing such teenagers, it can be difficult to determine whether aggressive behavior is a personality and character trait, or an external facade behind which fear, complexes and uncertainty are hidden. When we talk about bullies in school, we almost immediately think of students with lower academic achievements, those who reject school, and who are burdened with family and personal problems. In addition, aggressive behavior is observed in physically developed children without obvious problems with academic performance, from apparently prosperous and healthy families. Finally, children with mental and physical disabilities can be aggressors or troublemakers. The focus of close attention of educators and researchers on the problem of children's aggression is not only “aggressors”, but also “victims”, i.e. children who are “social outsiders”, since most often they are attacked and humiliated by their peers. Among the victims, there are “passive” and “provoking” victims. Typically passive victims are calm, reserved, fearful children. They have low self-esteem, feel less attractive, are physically weaker than their peers, and when attacked, they retreat, react by crying or running away. At school or on the street, they are socially isolated and withdrawn, as they have few acquaintances and friends, which is why they are called individualists, outsiders or eccentrics. Another group, “provoking victims,” may simultaneously demonstrate patterns of fearful and aggressive behavior. In part, provoking victims show the same signs as aggressors. Such teenagers are impulsive, easily vulnerable and “constantly ready to fight.” With their inappropriate behavior, they provoke aggression from others and easily allow themselves to be drawn into violent actions. On the one hand, they are victims, and on the other, they are trying to terrorize weaker and defenseless peers. Provoking victims are unloved by both peers and adults. Their behavior demonstrates that in many situations involving aggression and violence, it is impossible to draw a clear line between typical victims and aggressors. In almost every classroom there are children who are targets (“scapegoats”) for others. They are constantly teased, scolded, humiliated or beaten. Their belongings and objects are scattered around the classroom or hidden. During breaks, they constantly have to hide from someone or be close to adults (teachers); they are characterized by non-standard actions and isolation. In the West, this form of violence among schoolchildren is called mobbing (in Russia the term “pressing” can be used). At the same time, it is not clear to adults (parents, teachers, school administrators, scientists) why some children are the object of aggressive actions from others, while others are not. Explaining this phenomenon, the children themselves testify that “they” - “suckers” - look “different” (for example, different in appearance, in character) than the rest of “us”,therefore they are constantly attacked, etc. Aggression and pressure coming from people around them plunges such children into a depressive state, which negatively affects not only mental development, but leads to decreased self-esteem, motivation, loss of appetite, various phobias, and in particularly extreme cases, suicide. As a result of all these phenomena, there is a general decrease in performance, isolation from others, running away from school or an active hostile attitude towards it, and antisocial behavior. Psychological and pedagogical characteristics of aggressive behavior of schoolchildren Memo for parents An outsider does not bring home any of his classmates or peers and constantly spends his free time at home completely alone; does not have close friends with whom he spends his leisure time (sports, computer games, music, long conversations on the phone) ;classmates rarely invite him to birthdays, holidays, or, he himself does not invite anyone to his place, because he is afraid that no one will come; in the morning he often complains of headaches, an upset stomach, or comes up with some reason not to go to school; thoughtful, withdrawn, eats without appetite, sleeps restlessly, cries or screams in his sleep; he has a pessimistic mood, he may say that he is afraid to go to school or will commit suicide; he looks like a loser, sudden changes are visible in his behavior in a mood. He takes out anger, resentment, irritation on parents, relatives, weaker objects (younger brothers and sisters, pets); begs or secretly steals money, without clearly explaining the reason for his offense. You should be especially concerned if large sums of money, expensive items, or jewelry disappear. The money can be used to pay off extortionists, buy alcohol, drugs; he comes home with minor abrasions, bruises, his things look like someone wiped the floor with them. Books, notebooks, and school bag are in disrepair; chooses a non-standard route to school. The aggressor is hot-tempered, unbalanced (fights, calls names, snitches, bites); a typical aggressor, as a rule, is a child who is more physically developed than his peers and has problems with academic performance brought up in a dysfunctional family; a child with high self-esteem, constantly gets into arguments and conflicts with peers and adults; at an early age begins to show antisocial behavior (smoking, skipping classes, trying alcohol, drugs, extorting money from classmates and younger schoolchildren); home expensive trinkets, has his own money without explaining the reason for its appearance; groups with older teenagers; has sadistic tendencies; in the blink of an eye goes from contentment to anger; in the game he imposes his own rules on friends; is vindictive for small insults, instead of forgetting them ;ignores instructions and is easily irritated; acts as if he is looking for a reason to quarrel; does not respect parents or does not take them into account, especially mothers. Memo for teachers and school administration Outsider His school supplies (textbooks, notebooks, personal belongings) are often scattered around class, or hidden; during lessons he behaves secretly, timidly, when he answers, noise, interference, comments begin to spread in the class; during recess, in the cafeteria, he stays away from other schoolchildren, hides, runs away from peers and older students, tries to stay close to teachers, adults; he is insulted, teased, given offensive nicknames, to aggressive actions from the outside; he reacts to insults from other children with a stupid smile, tries to laugh it off, run away, cries; as a rule, potential victims of aggression are physically weak, unathletic boys, girls who dress poorer than his peers; gets along well with teachers and poorly with peers; is late for the start of classes or leaves school late; during group games, classes, he is ignored or chosen last. The aggressor in the lesson constantly attracts attention to himself,gets into arguments when receiving a negative mark, is quick-tempered and rude; manipulates his circle of friends and acquaintances, many children are afraid of him or fawn on him; can lie or cheat in order to avoid responsibility for his actions; complaints about his behavior are received from both children and adults; cannot curb his temper the way his peers can do; skips school, often in the company of peers from other schools or districts; is part of a small deviant group that terrorizes a class or school; speculates on misunderstandings, a hostile society, avoids socially useful activities, since this can be interpreted as a sign of weakness. Action program Attitude towards others The outsider sacrifices himself, suppresses his desires, feelings and emotions, suffers, experiences anxiety; allows others to make choices for himself; avoids conflicts, does not achieve his goals; feels sympathy, guilt or contempt towards rivals, achieves his goals through perseverance and integration outside of school Aggressive achieves his goals at the expense of other children, prefers to demonstratively express his emotions and harm others, makes choices for others or insults if his opinion is ignored Feels like a winner, more often attacks rather than defends itself, like an outsider, may find itself isolated from peers. A self-confident child asserts his own position; acts in his own interests; adequately expresses his feelings; respects the rights of other people; usually achieves his goals; maintains respect for himself and others; feels respect for his needs; is able to openly express his thoughts and feelings; has the ability to achieve goals; endures conflict situations I.A. Furmanov believes that the aggressive behavior of a teenager, as a rule, is directed against adults and relatives. It is expressed in hostility, verbal abuse, arrogance, disobedience and negativism, constant lies, absenteeism and vandalism. Children with this type of disorder usually do not even try to hide their antisocial behavior. They often begin to become involved in sexual relations, smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs early. Aggressive antisocial behavior can take the form of bullying, physical aggression and cruelty towards peers. In severe cases, behavioral disorganization, theft, and physical violence are observed. Many of these children have impaired social connections, which is manifested in the inability to establish normal contacts with peers. These children may be autistic or isolated. Some of them are friends with much older or, conversely, younger than them, or have superficial relationships with other young people. Most children classified as the aggressive solitary type have low self-esteem, although they sometimes project an image of cruelty. It is characteristic that they never stand up for others, even if it is beneficial to them. Their egocentrism manifests itself in their willingness to manipulate others in their favor, without the slightest attempt to achieve reciprocity. They are not interested in the feelings, desires and well-being of other people. They rarely feel guilt or remorse for their callous behavior and try to blame others. These children often experience frustration, have an exaggerated need for dependence, and do not obey discipline at all. Their lack of sociability manifests itself in excessive aggressiveness in almost all social aspects and in a lack of sexual inhibition. Such children are often punished. Unfortunately, such punishments almost always reinforce maladaptive expressions of rage rather than helping to resolve the problem. The main distinguishing feature of such aggressive behavior is the solitary rather than group nature of the activity. In addition to the aggressive single type violation I.A. Furmanov identifies a group aggressive type. The characteristic dominant feature is aggressive behavior, manifested inmainly in the form of group activities in the company of peers, usually outside the home. It includes truancy, vandalism, physical violence or attacks on others, truancy, theft, as well as minor offenses and antisocial behavior. An important and constant dynamic characteristic of this behavior is the significant influence of the peer group on the actions of adolescents and their extreme need for dependence, expressed in the need to be a member of the group. Therefore, children with such disorders usually make friends with their peers. They often show an interest in the well-being of their friends or members of their group and are not inclined to blame or report them. An essential feature of behavior disorder with rebellion and disobedience is defiant behavior with negativism, hostility, often directed against parents or teachers. These behaviors, which occur in other forms of conduct disorder, do not, however, include the more serious manifestations of violence against others. Diagnostic criteria for this type of behavior disorder are: impulsiveness, irritability, open or hidden resistance to the demands of others, touchiness and suspicion, ill will and vindictiveness. Children with these signs argue with adults, lose patience, are easily irritated, scold, get angry, and become indignant. They often do not fulfill requests and demands, which provokes conflicts with others. They try to blame others for their own mistakes and difficulties. This almost always manifests itself at home and at school, when interacting with parents or adults, peers whom the child knows well. Violations in the form of disobedience always interfere with normal relationships with other people and successful learning at school. Such children often have no friends, they are dissatisfied with the way their relationships with adults and peers develop. Despite normal intelligence, they do poorly in school or fail at all because they do not want to participate in anything. In addition, they resist demands and want to solve their problems without outside help. Psychologists have proven that an aggressive child has disturbances in the area of ​​perception. These violations are more pronounced the more ambiguous the conflict situation is (when it is unclear whether it was created unintentionally or intentionally). Aggressive children tend to attribute bad intentions to others, while non-aggressive children see their actions as the result of their own mistakes. Deficiencies in cognitive processes include: inability to empathize, limited possible strategies for overcoming conflicts, focusing on the final goal instead of thinking about intermediate steps, lack of understanding of the motives that determine actions, and an insufficient level of self-control. Children are characterized by self-destructive behavior, since, according to clinical observations of American psychologists, the instinct of self-preservation is finally formed in a person only by the age of 30. A teenager of 12-14 years old strives for rebellion, wants to be noticed, to be talked about, he especially violently opposes himself to adults in order to gnaw the umbilical cord of childhood. And if he succeeds, then it can be argued that the teenager himself ceases to feel like a child and becomes an adult. If he is kept from pubertal rebellion, the so-called freezing process occurs, i.e. Parents, teachers and other educators, trying to make a teenager sweet and obedient, drive him into a certain behavioral capsule, postponing protest behavior for later. A teenager who is “frozen” in this way, being already a mature young man, will show himself on the negative side and will rebel until he restores the balance between personal needs and social expectations. According to the observations of the Norwegian scientist and teacher D. Olweus, boys more often act as aggressors than girls. Although girls show significantly less aggression and violence, this does not mean that they are not involved in conflicts at all.situations. V. Heitmeyer believes that modern girls are “closing the gap” and do not always behave only correctly and “exemplarily.” Girls are involved in violent acts differently than boys: for example, as “behind-the-scenes forces” or as “spectators applauding.” Observing the behavior of schoolchildren, it can be established that mostly girls can be mean, insidious, cunning and treacherous. They secretly ridicule their classmates and make negative comments about them to teachers, mock boys they don't like, calling them "weaklings" and "mama's boys," and make disparaging remarks about their appearance and behavior. If physical aggression predominantly dominates among boys, then among girls indirect aggression and negativism come to the fore, manifested in gossip, “caustic remarks,” intrigue, “empty talk,” “whispering behind one’s back,” “manipulating the circle of friends and girlfriends,” and incitement, which sometimes provoke physical aggression from boys. Thus, girls project unfulfilled needs for power onto boys. They “force you to take decisive action,” “force you to fight,” while experiencing a sense of security and safety. Responses on their part are expressed in encouraging the winner or expressing pity for the loser. In children, when making contact, aggression is a means of testing strength. By coming into contact with each other, they find out who can “eat” whom, after which the act of eating and subjugation is carried out immediately. The fact that the targets of violence from teenagers are peers, elementary school students and even teachers can be explained very simply - the easy availability of prey. American psychologist A. Toch proved that in children, verbal abuse especially often provokes aggressive behavior and the use of physical force if it threatens reputation, manhood and leads to public humiliation. The likelihood of using force in response to an insult is especially high when it is difficult to avoid confrontation and when the provoked behavior is serious and repeated. Aggressive behavior directed against peers is much more common than against adults. Firstly, the child encounters peers every day. Secondly, being weak himself, he looks for a victim who is obviously weaker than himself, which is generally typical for those who want to assert themselves. Aggressive boys are dominant. Aggressive girls are invisible and resourceful; aggression on their part can manifest itself in a hidden form. They ridicule, tease, manipulate their circle of friends, spread rumors and incite other children against a person they do not like. Conflicts between children arise not only in situations of competition and struggle for leadership, but also incompetent actions or assessments of teachers. The manifestation of aggressiveness in adolescence mainly depends on the reaction and attitude of parents and significant adults to certain forms of behavior. If parents and teachers do not notice or are tolerant of any manifestations of aggression, then symbolic forms of aggression arise as a result, such as stubbornness, irritability, anger, vandalism and other types of resistance. Aggressive behavior observed in early childhood often leads to problems with school adaptation in the future. Stubbornness, outbursts of rage, disobedience, quarrelsomeness, irritability, which appear at 4-6 years old, “ultimately pave the way” to destructive acts, including intimidation, vandalism, truancy and running away at 10-13 years of age. Children who have not received professional psychological counseling become teenagers and become involved in criminal activities and abuse toxic substances. They do poorly academically and are poorly accepted by their peers. Unlike others, they are more likely to experience depression and escape from reality. “Difficult” children leave school of their own free will or are expelled for any disciplinary reasons.misconduct. As noted by Yu.S. Pezhemskaya, the origins of a child’s aggressive behavior problems in 80% of cases lie in difficulties associated with his failure to study; a problematic family and school are a risk zone, a place for the transmission of negative social experience for a significant number of children. Methodological recommendations for parents Firstly, try to avoid scandals and public quarrels in front of your child, as this can form a model of conflict behavior in him, which he will transfer to the surrounding society. Secondly, watch how your child eats before school and at school. Most children come to school with an empty stomach, which also provokes aggressive behavior. Thirdly, it is necessary to adequately assess your child’s capabilities and not set obviously impossible tasks for him, failure to complete which will inevitably lead to frustration, low self-esteem, and suicidal attempts. Don’t be indifferent to the child’s problems, try to attend school not only during the time when the parent-teacher meeting is held, but also during the term (this is especially true for parents whose children are unstable in their studies, have problems with discipline and academic performance). While visiting school, talk calmly and tactfully with teachers, try to find out the true causes of the problems (teacher’s version) and only then present your claims and demands (child’s and parents’ version). There are cases when parents come to school and immediately try to blame the teacher for all their child’s troubles. In such a situation, the teacher’s reaction can be either normal, and he will try to correct the situation, or inadequate, and he will begin to find fault with the child for any reason and artificially lower his grades. Ask yourself: “Is everything okay with my child?” and do a simple test. Answer: “never or rarely,” “sometimes,” “often,” or “very often.” My child1. Never or rarely loses his temper | sometimes | often | very often2. Argues with adults never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often3. Actively rejects or refuses to comply with demands or rules set by adults never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often4. Behaves provocatively and deliberately annoys people never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often5. Blames others for own mistakes or inappropriate behavior never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often6. Touchy and easily irritated by other people's actions never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often7. Angry and intolerant of criticism, never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often8. Unkind or vindictive never or rarely | sometimes | often | very often If you answered “often” or “very often” to at least 4 of these questions, then you need to seriously think about it. Your child's behavior may be a sign of a serious problem. However, generalization may not provide an answer that you are completely satisfied with. To find out what is going on with your child, you should probably pay more attention to his behavior at home and outside. Determine exactly where, when and why the child behaves aggressively. How serious is the behavior you are seeing? How does it relate to what other children do and say, what opinions do peers and teachers have about it? Avoid the practice of physical punishment, in particular, after attending a parent-teacher meeting, many parents return home with one goal, to punish the child as much as possible and thereby take revenge for the shame experienced. After such parenting tactics, conflicts between parent and child become a traditional form of communication, children stop trusting not only their parents, but also adults in general, are afraid to talk about their problems and difficulties, lie and get out, become withdrawn, run away from home, and seek outside support. When communicating with a child, it is necessary to use “I-messages.” The sender of such a message may be in danger: when he reveals himself to another (especially a child), this may», 2006.