Until children learn to adapt to strong emotions, violent behaviors may be exhibited. From kicking to punching to pushing, these behaviors can be worrisome to a parent and may affect your child's ability to socialize with others. Understanding the causes of violent behavior can help you to teach your child the appropriate manner to cope with frustrating situations.
Early Development
When your child is a baby, aggressive behavior can allow him to express feelings and emotions, according to Dr. Lawrence Kutner, a psychologist writing on Psych Central. These behaviors can include grabbing, biting, hitting or pushing. Some children may be predisposed toward violent behavior---aggressive children are often restless infants or kick more in the womb.
Patterns
To understand why a child behaves violently, it's important to review a pattern of violent behavior, according to Dr. Kutner. Note when and where violent behavior occurs. For example, if your child only behaves violently at school, a stimulus at school, such as another student or aggressive playtime, can be the contributing factor. If your child is aggressive at home, identify if there are triggers that could be frustrating your child and causing him to act out.
Modeling Behaviors
Children watch three to four hours of television per day, according to the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Frequent exposure to adult situations, particularly violence, can lead to aggressive behavior in children. Children may become desensitized to violence, be prone to imitating these violent behaviors and view violence as an acceptable response to difficulties and frustrations. To reduce these effects, prohibit your child from watching violent programs and explain that violent behaviors are not acceptable.
Self-Control
Children do not naturally have significant self-control functions; these behaviors often must be taught and modeled by authority figures, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Your child may feel natural anger or frustration from a situation and not understand the proper outlet to express emotions. Children must be taught effective coping behaviors, such as walking away from a situation, deep breathing and showing restraint. Modeling these principles in front of your child can set a valuable example for her to follow.
Warning
All children may behave violently periodically as they learn appropriate coping mechanisms to deal with feelings of frustration. However, some behaviors may indicate the need for medical intervention, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. These behaviors include frequent violent outbursts, causing physical injury to himself or others, being sent home from school due to violence or causing you to fear for your own safety. Your physician may recommend counseling or other behavior management techniques to reduce violent outbursts.
