Case Study Analysis: Childhood Aggression Management Techniques

This case study examines childhood aggression in an early childhood education setting. The assignment analyzes a young child's instrumental aggression, specifically hitting other children. It applies several psychological theories to explain the behavior, including the frustration-aggression hypothesis, which links aggression to unmet goals, and the social learning theory, which suggests aggression can be learned through observation. The case also explores the cognitive theory, highlighting the influence of external factors on the child's behavior. The teacher's technique of ignoring aggressive actions and focusing on positive behaviors is discussed as a method to suppress aggression, leading to a change in the child's behavior over time. The case study references several academic sources to support its analysis, providing a comprehensive understanding of childhood aggression and its management within an educational context. The assignment further highlights the importance of understanding the underlying causes of aggression and the effectiveness of behavioral interventions.

DIPLOMA IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION AND CARE

Childhood aggression is a very complicated behaviour that holds no proper
explanation or justification to understand its common occurrence in children.
Aggression can be temporary or permanent in children but it is always complicated to
handle aggression. In the present case study, the young child shows aggressive
behaviour that was further managed by technique applied by his teacher. This young
child is showing ‘instrumental aggression’ of hitting other children in the class
(Baltes, Reese & Nesselroade, 2014).
According to Black et al. (2017) studies on Instinct theory of aggression,
aggression is a part of human instinct that occurs in almost all human beings visible in
some phase of life or the other. Further, Fink & Rockers (2014) studied about the
Dollard and Millers ‘Frustration and Aggression hypothesis’, as per this theory, an
event or situation can disturb human creating frustration that leads to aggression.
Frustration occurs when a person is not able to achieve the designated goal that gives
rise to aggressive behaviour as a reaction of frustration. Basically, frustration is a
common phenomenon in younger children because childhood is generally helpless
and separated from their mothers in school and other social situations. As these
children are not able to perform as per their will, the general aggression due to
frustration is a common behaviour. The young child behaviour in provided case study
could be very well explained using this Frustration and Aggression hypothesis
because child behaves aggressively on a day-to-day basis as recorded by his teacher.
The child generally hits other children in aggression that clearly defines his frustration
about something. Apart from this aggression, the child was also observed showing
positive behaviour indicating that his aggression is not a part of his nature but it is
merely an outcome of frustration or anger.
Further, teacher to suppress a child’s aggressive behaviour used the act of
ignorance. She gave attention to the positive behaviour of the child and completely
ignored his aggressive actions. This lead to a change in the child’s behaviour where
his aggression was found to be suppressed and positive behaviour increased with
time. This control in aggression can be explained with ‘Social Learning Theory’.
This theory describes aggression is a human behaviour developed as a form of social
learning or social situations. Aggression can either be increased or decreased with
social learning’s (Fox & Schirrmacher, 2014). Human’s generally intimate or follows
what they learn from their surrounding situations, people and the environment. This
social learning influences human behaviour that can be positive or negative (Baltes,

Reese & Nesselroade, 2014). According to Britto et al. (2017) studies, social scientist
proved that human possesses the ability to learn from their society that happens due to
cognitive initiation of learning. Mannerism is a perfect example of social learning that
human develops from their society. In the present situation, the child aggression was
suppressed by this concept of social learning that he developed as a reaction to his
teacher’s action of ignorance. The child developed a cognitive learning that his
teacher disliked his aggressive behaviour. She is completely disliking and ignoring his
aggression. In response, the child developed a social learning to suppress his
aggression so that his teacher starts giving him more attention. In this manner, his
aggressive was suppressed as a response to his social situation as per described in
social learning theory.
Lastly, ‘Cognitive theory’ also explains the suppression of the child’s
aggressive behaviour. This theory indicates that cognitive learning is described as a
mental process that is influenced by the external and internal factors of human
existence. In the present case, the child developed a cognitive learning influenced by
his teacher’s act of ignorance (external factor). This cognitive learning developed in
the child’s conscious leading to the output of not performing aggressive behaviour.
Hence, these three theories of social learning theory, cognitive theory and frustration-
aggression hypothesis clearly explain developmental process occurring in the
provided case study.

References
Books
Baltes, P. B., Reese, H. W., & Nesselroade, J. R. (2014). Life-span developmental
psychology: Introduction to research methods. Psychology Press.
Fox, J. E., & Schirrmacher, R. (2014). Art and creative development for young
children. Cengage Learning.
Journals
Black, M. M., Walker, S. P., Fernald, L. C., Andersen, C. T., DiGirolamo, A. M., Lu,
C., ... & Devercelli, A. E. (2017). Early childhood development coming of age:
science through the life course. The Lancet, 389(10064), 77-90.
Britto, P. R., Lye, S. J., Proulx, K., Yousafzai, A. K., Matthews, S. G., Vaivada, T., ...
& MacMillan, H. (2017). Nurturing care: promoting early childhood
development. The Lancet, 389(10064), 91-102.
Fink, G., & Rockers, P. C. (2014). Childhood growth, schooling, and cognitive
development: further evidence from the Young Lives study–. The American
journal of clinical nutrition, 100(1), 182-188.