Aggression and Bullying Across Development (Week 3, Lecture 2)

Aggression

behaviour intended to harm another - physical, verbal or relational.

influenced by individual and environmental factors.

Aggression - Developmental Trends (Côté et al., 2006; Tremblay et al., 2004)

• early childhood → physical aggro. peaks 2-3 yrs.

• middle childhood → physical aggro. decline; verbal increases.

• adolescence → relational/indirect aggro. more common.

developmental continuity; early aggression predicts later problem behaviour.

Bullying (Smith, 2014)

specific aggression - intentional, repetitive; power imbalance.

social behaviour shaped by peer/environmental contexts e.g. parenting, peer relations, school, cultural norms.

SLT and Bullying

child learns aggro behaviour through modelling + reinforcement. more likely when:-

• rewarded

• not punished

• modelled by parents/peers

Patterson (1982) - harsh inconsistent parenting, coercive family processes reinforce aggression. positive parenting reduces bullying risk.

Individual Influences on Bullying (Godar et al., 2017)

• biology/hormones

• temperament/personality

• neurodevelopmental conditions

Farrington (2005) → high impulsivity + low self-regulation = more likely aggression. early temperament predicts later bullying.

Interactionist Perspective (Reebye, 2005)

bio + temperamental traits interact with parenting, peers, and school environment.

Interventions - Socio-Cognitive (Dodge, 1986)

e.g. social information processing.

• target hostile attribution bias

• improve social problem-solving

• effective for reactive aggression

Interventions - Family-Based (Patterson, 1982)

e.g. parent management training.

• improve parenting consistency

• reduce coercive cycles

• strengthen emotional regulation

Interventions - School-Based (Durlak et al., 2011)

e.g. social and emotional learning strategies.

• improve school climate

• teach emotional regulation and empathy

• reduce peer-reinforced aggression