How to eliminate the causes of aggression in adolescents

Is your teenager aggressive at home? You are not alone in this. Many parents argue that their teens are often aggressive – both at home and among peers.

Adolescence is associated with physical and hormonal changes. This confuses teenagers and makes them unsure of themselves.

In addition, during this period, adolescents begin to overestimate their role in society and the family. Together, these factors can lead a teenager to outbreaks of aggression, and most likely, he does not know how to cope with complex emotions.

In addition to the above, we consider a number of other factors that can cause aggression in adolescents.

8 causes of aggression in adolescents

In recent years, many studies have been conducted on aggression in adolescence. Scientists have been able to identify several factors that cause aggression. Here are some of them.

1. Traumatic events

The death or illness of a loved one, the divorce of parents, bullying by older brothers, sisters or peers cause stress in adolescents. This can lead to aggressive behavior. Also, the cause of aggression may be that a teenager is a witness to violence or conflict in the family.

2. Violence

Physical or emotional abuse is another cause of aggressive behavior among adolescents.

violence leads to the fact that the teenager feels anger and shame;
a sense of shame does not allow a teenager to tell someone about violence, so it develops into aggression.
3. Mental disorders

Some teenagers suffer from mental disorders:

bipolar disorder;
panic attacks;
schizophrenia;
Depression
post-traumatic disorder.
All these disorders cause aggressive behavior in adolescents.

4. Health Issues

In some cases, adolescent aggressive behavior leads to medical problems: brain damage, epilepsy, mental retardation, or Tourette’s syndrome. With proper medical examination, you can cure these diseases and cope with the aggression of a teenager.

5. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Learning Disorders

Adolescents with ADHD have certain social and emotional difficulties. Such a teenager may seem angry and aggressive.

6. Dependencies

Some teens are experimenting with drugs and alcohol. When they start to abuse these substances or they develop addiction, this can lead to aggressive behavior.

7. Peer pressure

Teenagers seek peer acceptance. They want to be part of the group. If this does not happen, the adolescent experiences emotional distress and anger, which, in turn, lead to aggressive behavior.

8. Low self-esteem

Some teens suffer from low self-esteem. They are trying to compensate for this through aggressive behavior. Most often this happens when a teenager is in the circle of their peers.

How to cope with aggressive behavior of adolescents

Fortunately, parents can control teenage aggression. The following methods may help.

1. Consultations of psychologists

A teenager prone to aggressive behavior can be shown to a psychologist.

Choose a psychologist who specializes in working with adolescents;
as a result of working with a psychologist, a teenager will learn to take responsibility for his behavior, as well as build relationships with others.
2. Consultation with a family psychologist

A good idea might be to consult a psychologist with the whole family:

communication of family members with each other under the guidance of a psychologist can be of great benefit;
Consulting a family psychologist will help resolve family conflicts and relationship problems that cause teenager behavior.
3. Medical assistance

If a teenager is diagnosed with a mental or neurological problem (e.g., epilepsy, depression, etc.), proper medical attention can reduce the level of aggression.

4. Behavioral contract

You can try to make an oral agreement with a teenager. This will force him to take responsibility for his behavior and actions:

List the behaviors you expect from a teenager. Explain what rewards await him if he exhibits the expected behavior;
do not offer material rewards as rewards for good behavior;
instead, you can establish for a teenager the consequences for misbehavior. It is best if these consequences relate to things familiar to the teenager. For example, tell him that in case of bad behavior he will not go to a movie or cafe with friends.
5. Home rules

Set home rules that teens should follow, whether they like it or not:

the rules should be clear;
tell the teenager that he will have to put up with the consequences if he breaks the rules.