now, no signup required!
Raju and his friends were playing cricket when two neighborhood boys came and snatched the bat from him. They pushed Raju off the pitch and insisted they wanted to bat instead.
Raju and his friends took their fielding positions as the two bullies got ready to bat. A couple of minutes later, the batsman hit the ball so high it smashed into the windowpane of a nearby house.
The two boys ran away, and Raju and his friends were left to face the consequences.
This is a classic example of aggressive behavior.
Aggressive behavior is behavior that is hostile and insensitive towards others. Aggressive behavior can lead to physical or emotional damage to others. The affected people can feel bullied, embarrassed, ashamed, or cheated.
You often face challenges at work and life in general that leave you irritated or fatigued.
However, when you can’t change or improve such situations over a long time, you are tempted to respond aggressively and let your displeasure be known.
Once that aggressive tendency creeps in, you might not even realize when it starts impacting your behavior. This can create a volcano-like situation internally where the resentment can turn into violent behavior.
Imagine you are traveling on a public bus and the person next to you falls asleep. His head rests on your shoulder and he keeps slumping towards you.
Initially, you might ignore it. But soon you will get irritated and gently nudge the person away.
When that also fails to work, you might get aggressive and forcibly push the person away or shake him out of his sleep.
In some cases, people deliberately use aggression as a tool of revenge and provocation.
Causes of aggressive behavior
To address the problem of aggressive behavior, one needs to understand what causes such behavior.
There is always a clear reason for your aggression. Identifying that root cause is critical for preventing aggressive behavior.
Factors that lead to aggressive behavior
A number of factors can prompt you to behave aggressively. For instance:
-
Poor health
-
Mental stress
-
Family issues
-
Personal and professional relationships
-
Workplace or school environment
-
Social conditions
-
Economic challenges
-
Personal conditioning
-
Experiences or traumas
Understanding the causes of your aggressive behavior will not only help you control such behavior but also address the problem that caused it.
Let’s look at an example.
Rohit used to be a friendly and cheerful boy. Everyone loved his sense of humor and social behavior. Unfortunately, he had an accident one day that left him paralyzed and bed-ridden for years.
Over the course of treatment, he felt greatly depressed and frustrated at his inability to do simple things that he could do easily before his accident. He became frustrated and aggressive.
Screaming, hurling abuses, or throwing things around became second nature to him. Initially, his friends tried to support and cheer him up but his sustained aggression eventually alienated him from others.
Analyzing the causes of aggression or talking to someone about the things that make you aggressive might help you find a solution.
Treating aggressive behavior
Now that you know the reasons for aggression, let’s look at how to treat such behavior.
Just like anger, bursts of aggression are not abnormal under certain circumstances. But you need to address the issue if it becomes a frequent behavior pattern.
Various treatments and therapies can help you treat your aggression. You can regain control over your behavior by consulting a specialist.
Harappa Education’s Embracing Change course helps you deal with setbacks and provides insights that help in getting rid of negative thoughts.
Conclusion
Aggressive behavior needs to be identified, analyzed, and dealt with constructively. If you don’t focus on treating your aggressive behavior, it can evolve into a persistent violent outbreak. Harappa Education’s Embracing Change course can help to deal with setbacks and overcome aggressive tendencies.
Sometimes, it is possible to avoid such frustrating situations by making lifestyle changes. Eating healthy food, exercising, meditating, and becoming more expressive can help. In severe cases, it is better to take medical advice and follow any therapies suggested by your doctor.
Explore blogs on topics such as managing anger, how to control anger, and the meaning of passive aggression in our Harappa Diaries section to learn how to handle intense situations calmly.
