NPR had a great piece on reducing violence and aggression in schools. Instead of working in a punishment system, some schools are relying on mental health professionals (counselors, school psychologists, etc) to work with the struggling kids and help them reduce their levels of hostility. Although results of the study are not complete, the report discusses that once time is taken to try and understand the context that the kids are in (many have abusive home lives, learning disorders, and underlying psychological conditions like depression and ADHD) that conditions improve.
People are often quick to demonize individuals (children or adults) that exhibit strange, violent, or socially unacceptable behavior. The piece to take away from this report is that there are often deep-rooted problems that are revealing themselves in these ways. Rejection, isolation, and punishment toward them generally make the problems worse.
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Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 17 Aug 2006
