Development of Aggression

Attachment Styles

secure and insecure

Insecure Attachments

ambivalent, avoidant, disorganized

Ambivalent Attachment

anxious attachment

- fear of abandonment, need for reassurance

- tantrums, overreacting emotionally, misinterpretation of social cues, mistrust in close relationships

Avoidant Attachment

distrust of others and avoids intimacy

- bullying, short tempered, instrumental aggression in childhood, lack of remorse

Disorganized Attachment

mix of acnious and avoidant

- struggles with trust, emotional regulation, and stable relationships

- linked to stress and risk for self-directed harm

Stable Traits Emerge

aggression can emerge in all insecure styles

- a child leanrs that caregivers are unreliable, rejecting, or frightening

Bandura’s Bobo Doll Study

children’s aggression increased and included new aggressive acts not shown by the model

- boys were more aggressive

- children who saw a calm adult or mot adult showed no aggressive imitation

- girls showed more physical when seeing male and more verbal when seeing female

Child Maltreatment

verbal and emotional, sexual, physical maltreatment, neglect

- gender differences unclear

Child Neglect Rate and Percentage

377,742 victims and 70-75% of cases

- 25% of abused children are emotionally abused

- 61% are neglected and 38% are physically neglected

Child Physical Abuse Rate and Percentage

62,685 and 15-20% of cases

- 58% of abused children are physicially abused

Child Sexual Abuse Rate and Percentage

44,355 and 10-12% of cases

- 25% of abused children are sexually abused

Victim Characteristics

lifelong victimization, revictimization, stepchildren at increased risk

- no effect of craniofacial malformation

Physical Maltreatment

tissue damage is necessary for reporting standards

- intention of perpetrator determines whether or not it classifies as abuse

- ex. hitting, fist hitting, part of body outside spanking

Sexual Maltreatment

unknown rates due to failure to report

- 30% of females and 16% of males

- age of onset is 6

- stepparents and nonbiological partners of parents; male perpetrators dominate reports

Behavioral Charactersistics of Abused Children

avoidant attachment and less compliant with instructors in schools

- physical abuse yields more aggression in schol

Characteristics of Sexually Abused Children

withdrawl, altered school performance, change in appearance and weight, sexual behavior

Psychological Outcomes

suicidal ideation, altered gray and white matter, psychiatric diagnoses

ELA Outcomes

gray and white matter reductions

- gray matter in PFC, hippocampus, OFC

- white matter in corpus callosum

Connectivity Issues

connectivity between DMN and amyglada reduced