Agressive behavior in adolescent 12-18 - Research Paper Example

Aggressive Behavior in Teenagers Aggressive Behavior in Adolescence Modeling theory suggests that parents are considered as role models for children and children follow their parent’s footsteps to gain social acceptability (Cullen, 2013 p.74). This means that when parents conduct positive and negative behaviors, their behaviors are imitated by their children. One of the main reasons due to which teenagers between the age of 12 and 18 continue to behave in an aggressive manner is because their parents do not use the technique of effective disciplining and problem solving (Lewis, 2011, p.144). According this technique, parents should keep a check on their children’s behavior and should correct their behavior.

Since not all parents follow this technique as they are becoming quite busy in their own lives, they fail to discipline their children and their children continue to operate in an aggressive manner. Parents need to ensure that the techniques used for disciplining purposes are not very harsh as children may view continuous harsh treatment as unfair and they may react to these techniques in an aggressive manner. When children may react in an aggressive manner and parents even try to discipline this behavior by implementing harsher punishments, child will become more aggressive.

Another theory that provides insight regarding aggressive behavior among teenagers caused by poor parenting is the strain theory. The strain theory asserts that individuals adopt aggressive behaviors because they fail to attain goals, which they value to be positive for their wellbeing (Cullen, 2013 p.148). In the case of teenagers, they put great value on being loved and cared for by their parents. If parents fail to provide love and affection to children, the child’s expectations are not met and thus he becomes aggressive.

Hollist confirms this theory and cites that according to a study, huge portions of juvenile delinquents are those who were coercively treated at their homes (Cox, 2011, p.100). When parenting style is coercive in nature, the bond between the child and the parent becomes weak and due to this, the children become involved in the act of externalizing their problems. For example: a child might have witnessed divorce occurring between his/her parents and due to the anger of divorce, the child may be involved in picking fights at school.

Amato asserts that the rate of divorce in the American society has elevated and huge number of children in various households witnesses their parents fighting with each other (Fine, 2013, p.43). Due to this, a child may perceive that he/she is the one who is causing these problems and may start feeling guilty and experience decline in self-esteem. Increased conflict between parents may even decrease the quality of care provided by parents to their children and this may lead to deterioration of bond between parents and children and the children may be left alone to identify the difference between wrong and right.

Due to this, the child may end up perceiving that aggressive behavior is correct and may get involved in similar behavior. The Social Control theory assumes that two parents can bring up a child in a better manner than one and a divorce may lead to decrease in effective parenting (Cullen, 2013 p.94). ReferencesCox, S. M. (2011). Juvenile justice: a guide to theory, policy, and practice (7th ed.). Thousand Oaks, Calif.: SAGE.Cullen, F. T., & Wilcox, P. (2013). The Oxford handbook of criminological theory.

New York, NY: Oxford University Press.Fine, M. A. (2013). Handbook of family theories: a content-based approach (1. publ. ed.). New York [u.a.: Routledge.Lewis, J. A. (2011). Community counseling: a multicultural-social justice perspective (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.