Anger in Children: Causes, Effects and Coping Strategies

Anger in Children: Causes, Effects and Coping Strategies Abstract This project discusses the causes, effects and coping strategies surrounding anger in children. Anger is a natural emotion but children often lack the social and verbal capacity to describe their emotions or to develop appropriate coping mechanisms. This project takes the form of a critical literature review. Anger is caused by many factors but todays children face a particular risk of experiencing anger as a result of divorce. Without aid, persistent anger can lead to overload, characterized by extended periods of upset. The effects of anger problems include physical and health problems, including a compromised immune system and depression. Anger may also cause children to act out, leading to aggression, social problems and even violence. Coping strategies frequently focus upon adults who must provide the support services necessary for children struggling with their anger. This paper offers recommendations for practice as well as some direction for future research. Introduction Childhood anger is a serious behavioral issue. Dr. Bernard Golden (2003) describes the significance of this issue:Whether observing the annoyance of a two-year old demanding to have his way or responding to the hostile, rejecting rage of a distraught adolescent seeking independence, dealing with a childs anger is one of the most frustrating and challenging tasks a parent faces.Anger problems can impact a childs socialization. Anger is frequently viewed as a serious psychiatric symptom in children and is one of the most common causes for a childs psychiatric incarceration (Potegal et al., 2009). The failure to develop healthy coping strategies to deal with childhood anger can result in significant social and behavioral problems in adulthood.The focus of this study is to analyze the causes and consequences of childhood anger and to identify healthful coping strategies. This topic is purposefully broad, allowing for the consideration of how the causes of childhood anger influence the mo st effective development of coping strategies. The purpose of this study is to further understanding on the phenomenon of childhood anger and to provide helpful advice for parents, teachers and psychiatric professionals working with angry children. Another goal is to develop specific recommendations for future study. This topic is explored using a detailed literature review that focuses upon empirical data. Definitions Children: Those under the age of 12. Children are a distinct category of maturity that precedes adolescence and follows infancy. Background Review of the Literature Anger is a natural emotion with which all children must eventually learn to cope. As the NYU Child Study (2004) center notes in a press release to parents, feeling anger is a healthy component of a childs development. Anger poses some distinct challenges for children. Children often struggle with understanding their anger (Marion, 2009). Anger may also become out of hand. While the DSM-IV does not distinguish anger as a separate disorder category, anger is frequently treated as a distinct condition by many psychologists and other practitioners. A distinct psychological problem in children which is separate from diagnoses such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder Anger may be a brief condition lasting only a few moments or anger may be more prolonged. Anger overload involves an extended period of intense anger. Gottlieb (2008) explains that with anger overload, the child becomes totally consumed by his angry thoughts and feelings the anger can last as long as an hour, with the child tuning out the thoughts, sounds or soothing words of others concurrent with other conditions, such as bipolar disorder or social anxiety disorder. Negative Consequences Anger in children has been associated with a variety of different negative consequences. These include physical illness triggered by an overstretched immune system, depression and aggression. In a review of empirical literature, Kerr and Schneider (2008) conclude that youth who cope inappropriately with their anger are at a risk for problematic interpersonal relationships and negative outcomes in terms of both mental and general health (p. 559). If anger management or coping strategies are not developed by the child, these problems may continue within adulthood.School-based programs typically focus upon containing the most aggressive consequences of childhood violence. Mytton et al. (2006) surveyed school based violence prevention programs and found that anger management is an important subcomponent of these programs. However, such programs fail to offer support services to children who do not display violent tendencies. Focusing upon violent prevention is important but not adequate for dealing with anger in children. Discussion Methods This project focused upon developing a literature review devoted to the topic of anger in children. Specifically, three distinct factors were studied: the cause of anger, the consequences of anger and coping mechanisms that are useful for children. The literature was collected using a variety of different resources, including the internet and electronic databases such as Questia.com and PubMed, the service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and National Institute of Health. In addition, recent books were surveyed, as were local and regional newspapers. This search method focused upon collecting a variety of high quality resources offering empirical information and analytical discussions.ResultsDivorce is a significant cause of anger in children. Divorce negatively impacts children in many ways because the family unit suffers from a series of different changes that will generate negative emotions (Wallerstein and Blakesleet, 2006, p. 6). Children will often find themselves moved from their home, attending a different school and suffering from the loss of regular contact at home with both parents. Children will be angered by the loss of friends and the loss of the parent without custody. Parents may choose to use their children as a tool to hurt the other and it is difficult for parents to keep our childrens best interests first in the middle of all of the emotional complications of divorce (Emery 2006, p. 3). Such behavior can generate anger, frustration and resentment in children of all ages. Analysis Anger is a persistent problem in children. Considerable research has been conducted on the subject. Coping strategies tend to focus upon behavior modification in children and educating parents and other adults to identify and respond to anger problems.Public attention is primarily focused upon violence in children as a consequent of anger. This focus is not surprising given the phenomenon of violence in American schools. As a USA Today article explained, over the last two decades, the study of violence and aggression has received an increasing amount of attention from behavioral scientists, partly in response to the rising number of incidents among children and youth (Cillessen 48). While the study of the causes of violence is important, anger as a phenomenon in children should be studied as a distinct subject. Children with anger problems may manifest their anger in different ways. Those who turn inward and develop physical or social problems outside of the boundaries of violence ma y be overlooked if the focus upon violence continues. This current research focus provides some grounds for the development of new modes of empirical inquiry, which are discussed in the concluding section. Conclusion Anger in children is generated by a variety of different factors, including divorce. Anger is a natural emotion and its existence is not, by itself, a problem. However, children often lack the maturity to understand their anger. Failure to develop sufficient coping mechanisms can cause lifelong physical and mental problems. Anger management in children begins with responsible behavior by parents and other adults. Adults must learn to identify the warning signs that a bout of anger is going to occur (Gottlieb, 2008). Such warning signs may be specific to the child. Furthermore, parents should concentrate on learning what the anger is intended to express. Children use anger when they cannot otherwise express their viewpoint and understanding the motivations behind the displayed anger can point to a resolution. Recommendations Anger has a variety of different causes, in both children and adults. However, much of the literature focuses upon anger as a result of the trauma of divorce. Parents in particular may be the cause of much of their childrens anger and should be careful to act in a responsible manner. Additional causes of anger may be poor socialization skills and physical problems.The solution to child anger must begin with the preparation of adults. Children are not capable of expressing their needs and this is the primary cause of anger. The lack of autonomy and articulation of children places the responsibility upon their attending adults. Parents, teachers and other adults working with children should become educated on the manifestation of anger in children. Degree programs for youth educators should include child psychology courses to help prepare teachers and other professionals with the tools they need to identify and respond positively to a childs anger.The literature does not offer a consen sus view on how to specifically help children cope. Many different options are available and it appears likely that different children may respond to different coping strategies. Future research should concentrate upon different coping strategies and mechanisms in order to determine the most successful outcomes. Such research may be used to craft a list of best practices that may then be used by child psychiatrists, parents and other interested adults.Further research should also concentrate upon the use of exercise to reduce anger in children. Exercise is frequently used by adults to cope with anger.However, little research has specifically focused upon exercise in children as a coping strategy. Childhood obesity is increasing and linked to both anger and depression(Story et al, 2006). As Blasi explains, obesity, considered the number one health risk for children in the United States today, is now reaching epidemic proportions (p. 321). Given the rise of child obesity, exercise sho uld generally be recommended to all children and its potentially ameliorative influence upon childhood anger poses another reason for the recommendation.

Essay --

Courage and Honesty in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight Approximately 6000 years ago in the late 1300’s, a poem by the title of â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight† was written by an anonymous author. The poem was initially written in medieval literature with a very unique rhyme scheme, but was later translated to regular English for the purpose of studying and reading by high school students and researchers. The setting in the beginning of the story is in King Arthurs Court at a New Years Celebration. The celebration seems to be going well until the arrival of an uninvited guest. The Green Knight is introduced to the story when he arrives at the feast and asks the bulk of knights if they are willing to join him in a game. The point of the game is that he will allow which ever knight that chooses to challenge him one swing with an ax to try and chop off his head, but in order to play the game, the accepting knight must meet the green knight one year later at the green chapel so that he may do the same. After a great deal of taunting, the Green knight had finally provoked one of King Arthurs knights to accept his challenge. It just so happens that the bold knight Sir Gawain was the knight to step up to the plate. With only one swing, Sir Gawain is successful in chopping off the Green Knights head. To much astonishment, immediately after the knight is decapitated, he stands up, picks up h is head and is on his way. After a year, Sir Gawain sets off a journey to find the Green Chapel. While on his travels, Sir Gawain arrives at castle and is invited by the Lord to stay for the remainder of his trip.On the first morning of his stay, the Lord makes a deal with Sir Gawain. The deal is that the Lord will go out and search for the Green Cas... ...ed what he got. On the third day while the lord was hunting his wife gives Gawain this magic girdle that she tells him it will save him from the green knight. Gawain takes it and doesn't share what was rightfully the lords. For that woven garment you wear is my own girdle. My wife wove it, *so I know it well. I have missed no facts concerning your acts and kisses, Nor my wife's wooing of you; I brought it all about. I sent her to test you. You withstood her stoutly. You're the most faultless solider who walks on foot! This is explaining how the lord set up this trap for Gawain to fall into. This was to test his honesty and see if he would share this magic girdle that would save his life. Gawain was to the point were he wasn't looking to be honest with the lord and give him back the girdle. He knew if would of given up the girdle the green knight would of killed him.

Mark Twain, The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn Essay -- essays researc

In the novel by Mark Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the two main characters, Huck and Jim, are strongly linked. Their relation is portrayed by various sides, some of them good and some others bad. But the essential interest of that relation is the way that uses the author to describe it. Even if he had often been misunderstood, Twain always implied a message behind the themes developed around Huck and Jim. The first encounter between Huck Finn and Jim is at the beginning of the book, when Huck’s friend, Tom Sawyer, tries to fool Jim, Miss Watson’s slave. Huck and Jim still don’t know each other, but Huck isn’t biased against the old slave. It’s an important point because, as racism was a widely held mentality in the South, we can learn that that young boy was more open-minded than most people there. Later, they find themselves in the same situation. As they were escaping from the civilized world, they take refuge in the Jackson’s Island, on the Mississippi river. Huck is running away from a bad father and Jim has leaved Miss Watson because he didn’t want to be sold to New Orleans. Soon after joining Jim on the island, Huck begins to realize that Jim has more talents and intelligence than Huck has been aware of. Jim knows "all kinds of signs" about the future, people's personalities, and weather forecasting. Huck finds this kind of information necessary as he and Jim drift down the Mississippi on a raft. As important, Huck feels a comfort with Jim that he has not felt with the other major characters in the novel. With Jim, Huck can enjoy the best aspects of his earlier influences. Jim's meaning to Huck changes as they proceed through their adventure. He starts out as an extra person just to take on the journey, but they transform into a friend. "It was fifteen minutes before I could work myself up to go and humble myself to a nigger."(chap. XV) Huck tries to squeal on Jim but can't because he remembers that Jim called him "de bes' fren' I ever had;...de on'y white genlman dat ever kep' his promise to ole Jim."(chap. XVI) Huck reali zes that he can not turn Jim in since they both act as runaway outcasts on the river. The support they have for each other sprouts friendship. As does the Widow, Jim allows Huck security, but Jim is not as confining as is the Widow. Like Tom Sawyer, Jim is intelligent but his intelligence ... ...cial bigot, Tom. In addition, both sacrifices have as a consequence a life of everlasting hell. When Huck sacrifices himself for Jim, he accepts a literal hell (that is truly the path to heaven). Jim, on the other hand, accepts a life of figurative hell in slavery, when he is in fact free all along. Finally, each sacrifice shares irony, in that they were both based on unknown pieces of unknown, but significant pieces of information. Huck is unaware that his decision of accepting "hell" will actually lead to his salvation and ironically decides on doing what the thinks is "wrong." Likewise, Jim is unaware that he is free, and is not risking his freedom in saving Tom. In making these two brave sacrifices, Huck and Jim achieve a higher character than if they had chosen easier paths. Huck's willingness to face hell to protect Jim and Jim's willingness to face capture and slavery to save Tom, both contribute to the overall theme of racial equality/inequality present throughout the book. Huck and Jim's journey down the Mississippi River has led them to look past colour boundaries, and discover that "all me are created equal."

Fantasy :: Free Essay Writer

Fantasy Comparing and Contrasting the Fantasy Trilogies Daughter of the Blood and Arrows of the Queen The trilogies Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop and Arrows of the Queen by Mercedes Lackey are both stories of young girls who grow up among characters of fantasy to become queens. In Daughter of the Blood, the story of Jaenelle Angelline’s struggle with extreme magical powers and the curse of being both Queen and Witch is described. It tells of her traumatic past caused by her gifts and also her recovery and the transition form childhood to adulthood and monarchy. In Arrows of the Queen, the tale follows an abused Talia as she becomes one of the magical Heralds of Valdemar. Poor Talia though isn’t just blessed with being an everyday Herald (an excruciating task in it’s self) but she is also the Queen’s Own which means she’s in charge of all dealings with the queen and her only family member, the Royal Brat or more formally known as Princess Elspeth. As the story goes on we see the reformation of the young princess Elspeth through the eyes of her exasperated caretaker, Talia. While, as you can see, the characters and plots are technically the same, the novels differ significantly. In the beginning, the lives of the main characters are very similar. Talia grows up in a multi-wife household where women are plentiful and no one cares if a single female child is abused, so of course she’s hit and raped quite often. Then there’s Elspeth, she grows up in a huge house with powers not seen in Valdemar in centuries. While these two characters have really no relation besides pupil and teacher, together they describe Jaenelle. Jaenelle grew up in a house full of nobles where pleasure slaves were abundant and her pedophiliac father resided. Starting at the age of five, she is continuously shuttled back and forth between her house and a house for the emotionally disturbed on her uncle’s orders even though she’s not ill. At the hospital, her and the other patients are continually raped, beaten, and forced to watch the murders of others â€Å"sick† children. According to the story, a witch raped as a child goes mad unless, like Jaenelle, th ey are powerful enough to back away from the Twisted Kingdom. Unfortunately for Jaenelle’s fellow prisoners though, no one else is this powerful and because of the continuous supply of young witches, no one really cares when one is broken.

Heart Essay -- essays research papers

Coronary Artery Disease Heart Disease Heart disease can take many forms. The form of heart disease I am focusing on is coronary disease. Different arteries supply different areas of the heart with oxygenated blood. If one or more of these arteries become narrowed or clogged as a result of coronary artery disease, or atherscelorosis the artery cannot fully supply the part of the heart it is responsible for. The heart is an effective pump only when good blood supply is maintained to all heart muscles. If an artery becomes so clogged that blood cannot flow through it, the result is chest pain which could progress to a heart attack, or myocardial infarction (MI). "Myocardial" is a medical term that means "having to do with the heart" or "heart muscle". "Infarct" is a medical term for tissue death. During a myocardial infarction, the portion of the heart that is supposed to get blood from the diseased artery dies. However, cardiologists are trained to recognize symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue of coronary artery disease in patients before the symptoms becomes severe. A cardiologist is often able to treat coronary disease before it causes an MI. – http://myweb.com/contents/dmk_article396168 Coronary Artery Disease Healthy arteries are flexible, strong, and elastic. Their inner layer is smooth and blood flows freely. As you get older, your arteries become thicker, less elastic, and deposits build in them. This leads to a general hardening of the arteries, which is also called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is the main cause of coronary artery disease. Atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis is the gradual buildup of cholesterol inside the artery. When this happens in a coronary artery, the space inside the artery where blood flows becomes narrow, making it difficult for blood to flow freely. The result is less blood flow through the artery and less blood supply to heart tissue. Symptoms can include chest pain, shortness of breath, and fatigue that can be mild, or abrupt and severe, such as a heart attack. –http://www.heartpoint.com Symptoms of Coronary Disease More than 6 million Americans have symptoms due to coronary artery disease (CAD). As many as 1.5 million Americans will have a heart attack this year. As a result, almost one-third will die. The most dramatic symptom of... ... LDL and total cholesterol levels. Â · Eat only small amounts of sweets. Â · Eat 1 to 2 servings of fish or seafood each week if you have coronary artery disease. People with coronary artery disease seem to benefit from eating fish and seafood. Â · Cook with garlic. Several studies have shown that garlic reduces LDL cholesterol and lowers blood pressure. Â · Eat moderate amounts of nuts that are rich in monounsaturated fat, like hazelnuts, almonds, pecans, cashews, walnuts and macadamia nuts. These nuts have been shown to improve cholesterol levels. Avoid eating nuts by the handful. Instead, garnish food with one tablespoon of chopped nuts per person. What else can I do if I have coronary artery disease? Besides changing your diet, you should talk to your doctor about an exercise program that's right for you. If you smoke, quit. If you're overweight, try to lose weight (changing your diet and exercising will help you lose weight). Talk with your doctor about reducing other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. – Dr. Donnely; Cody Family Practice Center

Dining in vs. Dinging Out

Informative Speech Dining Out VS. Dining In INTRODUCTION I. Attention getter/relevance: The Price of food has TRIPLED, Which results in the price of fast food has double just form the past two years. II. Establish Credibility: I have gained knowledge and tips on how to save money by cooking your meals at home by doing so you can save over a 1000$ a month. III. Thesis Statement: By the end of my presentation, you will have the knowledge to cut the cost of food and you will think twice before you visit your local fast food restraint. IV.Preview: The focus of my speech is to give you pointers on how to cut the cost of food, and getting a home cook meal in a convenient amount of time. BODY I: First (signpost), why is preparing food at home less expensive then dining out. The cost of fast food has double in the past two years. A today's economy has changed, meaning that all living expenses like rent food and gas prices has gone up as well. b. Studies has shown that dining out three times a week for a family of four can cost up to 400$. c. Money can be saved by cutting back on dining out and fast food by simply cooking from home. I. 2.Second (signpost) the main reasons why people dining out because of their busy life styles. a. There are many adults that work over 40 hours a week, or has resign back in school or some are doing both all while supporting there families. b. Most people way of thinking is it’s much easier to buy per pared food rather than slave over a hot stove daily. c. Little do they know it’s a lot of things you can cook from home with in convenient amount of time. Transition: Let’s review home cooked meals are cheaper than dining out every night. When you prepare your food from home, your relocked to save over a 1000$ monthly.There are meals that you can prepare at home in a convenient amount of time. II. Continue following format for remainder of main points†¦ CONCLUSION I. Signal/summarize main points: because of today's e conomy living expenses like rent food and gas prices has gone up. Preparing food at home less expensive then dining out. II. Thesis statement/Relate to introduction: Now that you know more information on how to save money and time by cooking a prepped meal at home, I hope that you take what you learned and put it into use. I promise you want be sorry.

Nursing Home Visit Essay

As I visited RSL Anzac Village, Narraben, I have outlined the nurses performing their roles in communication and safety practice in a professional working environment. As I was bought up in Nepal, I was really surprised with my expectation comparing to what I have seen. In this reflective writing I am going to explain about how does my expectation meet the obesevatation communication and safety features. In my imagination, RSL could have been a hospital with many nurses, doctors and very filthy place with nonhuman behavior. The patients could have been very old, weak and motionless, the atmosphere in an aged care centre might be heartbreaking and miserable. Soon after I started walking inside the care center, I was surprise with the way it was operated. I noticed a nurse using very soft tone with acknowledgement. She started with Good morning. How are you today? Even though the person she was addressing was non-verbal, she responded as if she was a normal women. In reply, the person responded with the smile and head nodding. In fact, I was very impressed with the way conversation was made. I think this has demonstrated good interpersonal skills including respect for the patient, patience and politeness, so these are few things that I learned about effective communication and it is necessary to communicate compassionately and effectively with residents. I agree with the Jasmine (2009) as she says therapeutic communication is most essential for nurses as they have care both physically and emotionally. On the second instance, I saw so many mobility equipments to transfer patient from bed to shower chair or from shower chair to bed. After my tutor explained us importance of those equipment , which would simplify and breakdown the task and make our life easy. As a result these device provide mobility support for immobilized elders (Clarke, Chan, Santaguida and Colantonio, 2009). The second incident I got caught in made me to realize there are so many things I got to learn about safety features like, smoke detectors, all fire exist were clear and clearly marked, hall ways and toilets were wide enough for wheelchairs, hand rails provided in hall ways and in bathing areas, very high fence in balcony so that there will not be isk of fall, code access to entry and exit at doors so resident cannot escape, remote for attention or call nurse in need, zebra crossing inside the facility boundary for resident safety in road crossing, alcohol foam sanitizer for infection control. As an everyday routine, nurse visited the dinning room and greet all the residents. I suppose, this spiritual faith of residents and nurse has made this care harmonious and peaceful. Furthermore, I agree with the point of view that one who has not clear understanding of their own spirituality are less likely to meet others spiritual support (McSherry,2006). Therefore, I realized the importance of spirituality in health care. To sum up, the way communication, use of mobility aids, safety features and spiritual support that I experienced in my visit made me explore further in this industry. Which also made me believes it is also a community which is â€Å"the home† of many old people.