What Causes Children to Become Violent?
When a child begins to feel violent emotions or act on them, it is often unexpected as well as terrifying. A violent child is a hard concept to grasp because children are expected to be lighthearted, carefree and happy. There is no one definite reason why children become violent, and the answer can be one factor or a combination of many factors. Those factors in question include biology and genetics, society, trauma, personality, upbringing and temperament.
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Socialization
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The socialization of a child happens both intentionally and unintentionally. As the parents, guardians, family and family friends raise a child, that child learns to think, communicate and act as the adults around him. Adults raising a child should realize that every action done in front of that child is a lesson to her on how the world works, whether it is negative or positive. If a child is raised in a household with poor communication, that child will not be able to relate as well to other children and adults in society. If a child feels alienated, this may spark violent feelings. If that same child has grown up in a violent environment, whether that violence is experienced in the house, at her school or in her neighborhood, she may perceive this as the correct way to confront problems and duplicate those actions.
Trauma
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Emotional trauma can be caused by an isolated event, such as the death of a parent, and especially if the adults and guardians raising the child do not help him confront and work through his emotions about the event. Trauma can be experienced because of physical, emotional or mental abuse, even if that abuse is passive, such as a parent neglecting his child to work long hours. Trauma comes from an altered sense of safety. When a child views his parents as potentially harmful or unsafe for the first time, his view of the world shifts dramatically. Biological parents or guardians are the adults a child has no choice but to trust with his life and well-being. If a child cannot trust his parents, he will begin to wonder if there is anyone in the world he can trust. This fear can turn to violence as a protection mechanism.
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Biological
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Behavioral disorders are often biological in nature, meaning a psychiatrist must diagnose and then treat a child if she has a chemical imbalance effecting her mood. These imbalances are often genetic and unavoidable, and treatment should not be avoided because of fear or shame. Environmental factors can also enhance the severity of a biological disorder. Often, the two go hand in hand and must be treated simultaneously.
Warning Signs
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Oregon Counseling urges parents and guardians to be aware of early warning signs that a child has violent tendencies. The earliest warning signs are commonly bed wetting, cruelty to household pets and attempting to start fires with matches, lighters and other items lying around the house. This concern is graduated when the signs become more severe, such as a chronically socially withdrawn child, a child who is easily influenced to do bad things by his peers, a child who is victimized frequently at school and a child who reacts to negative events with extreme and unanswerable sadness and anger. Finally, obvious signs of violence must be recognized and confronted immediately, including assaulting another child, carrying weapons, violent or threatening gestures or words and self-destructive or suicidal thoughts or behavior.
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References
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