Violence and Aggressive Behavior

Introduction

Aggression is defined as harmful behaviors or attitudes inflicted upon others, which is a universal behavioral trait among animals. It is used either as a mechanism to further an individual’s or group’s power or as a mechanism of defense from a perceived threat. It is one of the basic human traits aiding in the mechanism of survival. However, societies place limits on acceptable levels of aggression and violence. These limits are culturally bound and influence what is considered pathologic versus acceptable. We categorize pathologic aggression into 2 categories: impulsive (emotional, reactive, affective) and premeditated (planned, predatory), which is defined by goal-oriented actions. Distinguishing impulsive from premeditated aggression is important, because of the different biological, psychological, and social etiologic factors as well as management strategies.

Universally, the onset of developmentally normative aggressive behavior begins at age 2 or 3 years. Physical aggression is most common at age 2 to 3 years and declines thereafter, whereas verbal and indirect aggression increases throughout the childhood and adolescent years before declining throughout adulthood. The delineation between developmentally appropriate and pathologic aggression is not well defined. However, aggression may be considered pathologic when it is chronic or occurs in greater frequency and severity than developmentally expected. The type, severity, and frequency of pathologic aggressive …