Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

4-25-2025

Keywords

adverse childhood experinces, aggression, childhood aggression, cognitive development, relational aggression

Disciplines

Developmental Psychology

Abstract

Maladaptive aggression, defined by social psychologists as a set of behaviors intended to be verbally or physically harmful to others or objects, is unregulated and disinhibited, yet developmentally normative during certain stages of childhood (Connor, 2002). For example, for boys and girls, physical aggression increases at 18-months, peaks at 3.5 years, and declines with cognitive and emotional development (Teymoori et al., 2018). However, a small group of children continue to experience high levels of aggression that persist beyond developmentally appropriate behaviors. The current chapter will briefly: (i) review individual differences, including gender and age, that may affect forms of aggression (e.g., physical, verbal, relational, cyber) used in childhood, (ii) discuss the increasing prevalence of cyber aggression and its effects, (iii) explore adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) as a risk factor for high levels of persistent aggression observed in some children, and (iv) highlight implications for prevention and intervention.

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