Psychiatria pre prax 1/2005

AGGRESSION IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Aggression (aggredere = go against) is a multidimensional overall term, which includes simple forms of irritation and anger, through complicated complexes of hostile aggressive behaviour up to violence. “Aggredi” = “ad gredi” and it means “to walk”, “to get closer to someone”, “to get into contact”. It is not clear from a primary sense of the word, which feelings, motivations and aim is the aggression, as a “mutual getting closer”, connected with. Whether it is a positive contact or a destructive attack (Frielingsdorf). Growing violence in both public and private life, wars, national slaughters are connected by the word aggression and aggressiveness with violence and brutality.

Keywords: definition, overview of aggression – inducing factors, treatment of aggression.