Aggression

Aggression is a problem that affects all members of society. There is no doubt that aggression pays off for some people. Parents who yell and threaten punishment get results. The child who hits the hardest gets the toy. The brother who is willing to be the most vicious in a fight wins. The teacher who gives the hardest test and threatens to flunk the most students usually gets the most study time from students. The …

…because we are naturally and unavoidably aggressive. This widely held theory provides us with harmful expectations, self-fulfilling prophesies, and with excuses for being aggressive. I believe aggression is both biological and behavioral. Neither theory, by itself, can account for the rise in violent crimes among youth. However, together, the theories provide great structure for treatment. In the end, it really doesn’t matter what causes what; what matters is that aggressive behavior can be controlled.