Aggressive behavior in children is due to genetics
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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In one of the universities of Morale and Saint-Justine Hospital in Canada, one study was conducted aimed at studying aggression in young children. Under the aggression it is accepted to understand the active form of anger manifestation. An aggressive child shows a quick reaction to an "irritant", this can manifest itself in causing bodily or other injuries to a person or an object that acts as an "irritant".
Scientists suggest that in children at an early age, physical aggression is largely due to genetic predispositions, rather than the result of the impact of the social environment, as was previously thought. Over the last couple of decades, the theory of aggressive aggression in childhood has evolved over time in the study of child aggression under the influence of aggressive examples (in the social environment of the child or through the media). In addition, experts determined that aggression begins to form in infancy, reaching a peak of 2 to 4 years. But many children outgrow this difficult period and slowly begin to control and muffle aggression towards others.
A new research project (the results of which were published in the journal Psychological Medicine) was conducted with the participation of more than 600 pairs of twins (monozygotic and bipartite). Parents of children had to assess the level of aggression (bites, fights, strikes, etc.) at the age of 1.8, 2.8 and 4.2 years. After that, researchers compared the behavior of children in the environment with genetic indicators of twins.
According to one of the researchers at the University of Montreal, Eric Lakors, genetic predispositions could always explain most of the personal differences in aggressive behavior. However, this does not mean at all that it is impossible to influence the early manifestation of aggression. Genetic factors are always in relationship with other environmental factors, thereby explaining any human behavior.
As a result, the study confirmed the fact that the peak of aggressive behavior occurs in children at an early age, but the frequency of angry outbreaks and the level of aggression, as it turned out, influenced not only genetic but also external factors. According to researchers, genes that contribute to aggressive behavior towards others are to blame for this by 50%. However, this does not mean that there is nothing that can be done with a genetic predisposition to aggression. According to the researchers themselves, genetic factors are always in close interaction with other factors of the environment that can influence the behavior of the child to a greater or lesser extent, so that aggressive manifestations of emotions can partially or completely disappear with time. With age, most children (as well as adolescents and adults) begin to control their aggressive outbursts and learn to use alternative, more peaceful methods of conflict resolution.
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