Antisocial and Aggressive Behavior
Antisocial behavior is described as "...recurring violations of socially prescribed patterns of behavior," such as aggression, hostility, defiance, and destructiveness (Walker, Colvin, and Ramsey, 1995). This behavior is characterized by deviation from accepted norms across a range of settings (home, school, and community). Antisocial behavior is the forms the foundation for Conduct Disorder syndrome. In other words, antisocial behavior results in a Conduct disorder diagnosis. Due the this close relation, the two are often mistakenly used interchangeably.
Some examples of antisocial behaviors are:
Teacher related-Stealing, provoking the teacher, throwing tantrums, disturbing others, damaging property, cheating, swearing, aggression, and ignoring the teacher
Peer-realated-disturbing the group, acting snobbish, starts fights, short temper, constantly seeking help, bragging, and low achievement.
As appearant by the above list, few students do not exhibit these behaviors at some point. However, students who develop a conduct disorder due to antisocial behavior will accelerate the above behaviors in a school setting. Antisocial behavior and aggression are both causes and results (chicken or the egg?) of each other, and therefore are usually discussed as one general topic. The problem of antisocial/aggressive behavior is escaleted as other youth begin to socially regect the individuals exerting these types of behaviors.
After all I my research of what the experts tell us about antisocial behavior, I have summarized the problem as follows: a child with antisocial behaviors who does not improve these behaviors in a school setting will become an outcast which will inturn accelerate the problem, and aggression causes antisocial behavior and antisocial behavior causes aggression. So no wonder educators don't know what to do with these kids? We are sent in circles just trying to find out what is causing the problem and then we are told that school is what accelerates the problem.
Some recommended solutions for schools to prevents antisocial behaviors are as follows:
teaching conflict resolution, emotional literacy, and anger management skills on a schoolwide, or universal basis, behavioral or academic support, mentoring, and skill development,small-group social-skills lessons, behavioral contracting, specialized tutoring, remedial programs, counseling, mentoring, and comprehensive assessments of the problem. All of these recommendations sound great on paper, but how are they executed? Is their a manual like for assembling a toy? That is what we need. We as educators are immersed in diagnosis and generic "fix it" plans, but more time needs to be spent on what to actually do. So, I concentrate by search on solutions rather than causes and prevention methods. Perhaps if I tought younger kids I would be more interested in prevention, but I teach middle school and the problem is already "accelerated in a school environment".
The best solutions I have found have one common theme rapport, rapport, rapport. As a new teacher this is frustrating at first because how can you build a trusting relationship with a student that is throwing chalk at you? That is when we have to move forward. I am slowly noticing that whatever you try with these students whether it works or not is bringing you one step closer to rapport. The individual time that you are spending to make the plan is really what the child needs because he or she realizes that you are trying to help. I was using an intervention checklist with rewards for a child that insisted on calling everyone a "fagot". He could really care less about getting the Snickers bar (or anything else for that matter) for not saying "fagot" more than 10 times a week. I thought for sure the checklist was not going to work until one day I forgot to run off copies, so I made him a sheet on my computer and printed it in color. I typed in "Sean's Checklist, How many times will he say "Fagot" this week?" and put a picture of a bundle of twigs (because that is really what a fagot is). Anyway, he loved not only the humor, but that I made this just for him and whalahhhh Raport! Who would have known? He realized that it was important for me, for him not to call people "fagot" and it stopped. So, I have yet provided another generic solution...Rapport. However, the good news is as long as you are doing something, you are doing the right thing because you are working on Rapport!
References
Kazdin, A. (1993). Treatment of conduct disorder: Progress and directions in psychotherapy research. Development and
psychotherapy, 5,277-310.
Walker, H., Colvin, G., & Ramsey, E. (1995). Antisocial behavior in school: Strategies and best practices. Pacific Grove, CA:
Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.
Walker, H.M., Horner, R.H., Sugai, G., Bullis, M., Sprague, J.R., Bricker, D., & Kaufman, M.J. (1996, October). Integrated
approaches to preventing antisocial behavior patterns among school-age children and youth. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral
Disorders, 4(4), 194-209.
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