Neurobiological and Relational Bases for Understanding Aggressiveness

Aggression is a deliberate, proactive or impulsive, defensive or active act, expressed through the use of physical power or psychological pressure. As such, it is a significant element of violent behaviour. According to developmental stages, aggression is expressed in various forms and is associated with the specific ways of regulating the feelings of shame and anger. We assume that excessive exposure and interrupted contact in development can lead to a specific regulation of the affects of shame and anger in a person who, because he feels threatened, can transform these feelings into aggressive behaviour. In addition, the dysregulated affects can lead to the dissociation of emotional experience, and thus to the inability to feel empathy, which allows for deliberate or proactive aggressiveness. Furthermore, the text presents the basic conclusions of research in the neurobiological understanding of aggression. The aggressive action is characterized by the specific functioning of the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Abuse in childhood and relational trauma are presented as a starting point for the specific functioning of the brain and specific affect regulation, which can also be associated with aggressive behaviour in adulthood.Aggression is a deliberate, proactive or impulsive, defensive or active act, expressed through the use of physical power or psychological pressure. As such, it is a significant element of violent behaviour. According to developmental stages, aggression is expressed in various forms and is associated with the specific ways of regulating the feelings of shame and anger. We assume that excessive exposure and interrupted contact in development can lead to a specific regulation of the affects of shame and anger in a person who, because he feels threatened, can transform these feelings into aggressive behaviour. In addition, the dysregulated affects can lead to the dissociation of emotional experience, and thus to the inability to feel empathy, which allows for deliberate or proactive aggressiveness. Furthermore, the text presents the basic conclusions of research in the neurobiological understanding of aggression. The aggressive action is characterized by the specific functioning of the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Abuse in childhood and relational trauma are presented as a starting point for the specific functioning of the brain and specific affect regulation, which can also be associated with aggressive behaviour in adulthood

The Impact of Early Aggression on Late Development

Children who are victims of an early violent atmosphere or early relational trauma will often, even in adulthood, tend to behave violently towards others, or become victims of violence, or freeze and later develop the tendency towards self-injury, in particular in later adolescence. In adulthood, they can be accident-prone, engage in constant violent physical abuse, threaten with or actually commit suicide. In this article we will focus on the impact of violence that children experience from the earliest age, on how it affects their development, and is transmitted to adulthood as well as to younger generations, since violence is imprinted in the deepest organic fibres of every individual.Children who are victims of an early violent atmosphere or early relational trauma will often, even in adulthood, tend to behave violently towards others, or become victims of violence, or freeze and later develop the tendency towards self-injury, in particular in later adolescence. In adulthood, they can be accident-prone, engage in constant violent physical abuse, threaten with or actually commit suicide. In this article we will focus on the impact of violence that children experience from the earliest age, on how it affects their development, and is transmitted to adulthood as well as to younger generations, since violence is imprinted in the deepest organic fibres of every individual

Vulnerability in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Light of Relational Trauma

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed different ways individuals react to frustrations they have experienced. Many times we have witnessed an increased level of aggression in interpersonal relationships and in the general social context. We find that there are some differences in coping and responding according to gender, with men showing a higher level of vulnerability and risk of inappropriate regulation and expression of anger when frustrated. To a certain extent, the answer to why this happens is provided by neuroscientific research, which shows that already at an early age, boys’ brains develop differently from girls’, as it takes more time to develop their stress-regulating mechanism; consequently, due to slower development, boys are more vulnerable to early stressful situations and have more problems with self-regulation of affective states at this early age. Together with the possibility of relational trauma in the family, to which many children are exposed from the earliest period of their lives and which plays an important role in providing a context for the development of affect regulation, that means that boys and men are even more vulnerable and sensitive to stress, aggression and trauma later in life. It makes sense to take these neuroscience findings into account when building an understanding of responses to stressful challenges, such as coping with a pandemic, as well as when planning appropriate models to help individuals cope with different types of stress

Can an experience of a punishment episode in childhood period be connected with depressive or anxiety conditions in adulthood?

Punishment, when understood as parents' response to undesirable behavior of a child and representing gradual restricting of such behavior, is an essential part of parents' role in the family. In the context of the paradigm of affective regulation, anxiety and depression states represent another unsuccessful attempt of trying to get closer and to find a connection in the relationship. This study, conducted on 197 participants, addressed the connection between punishment in upbringing and behavior disturbances in adulthood. Depressive states in adulthood were statistically significantly, although weakly connected with the experience of corporal punishment, punishment and restitution, and psychological aggression form both parents. Anxiety states were statistically significantly, although weakly connected with the experience of psychological aggression from both parents and with the experience of corporal punishment, and punishment and restitution of the mother. The participants who attained the criteria for diagnosis of depression were more exposed to corporal punishment at the age of 10 years (from both parents), punishment and restitution (from the father) and psychological aggression (from the father) compared to the participants without the diagnosis of depression. The paradigm of affective regulation is presented as a possible explanation of the connection between experiences of punishment as a way of upbringing in childhood and later mood disorders in adulthood. Punishment during upbringing that is not accompanied by parents' maintaining of the connection with the child can present the first experience of negative affection, which is the core of anxiety and depressive states. The mood disorders in adulthood can be understood as another failure when trying to reestablish the balance between external information and internal experiences that were primarily disturbed by the experience of punishment when growing up

Neurobiological and Relational Bases for Understanding Aggressiveness

Aggression is a deliberate, proactive or impulsive, defensive or active act, expressed through the use of physical power or psychological pressure. As such, it is a significant element of violent behaviour. According to developmental stages, aggression is expressed in various forms and is associated with the specific ways of regulating the feelings of shame and anger. We assume that excessive exposure and interrupted contact in development can lead to a specific regulation of the affects of shame and anger in a person who, because he feels threatened, can transform these feelings into aggressive behaviour. In addition, the dysregulated affects can lead to the dissociation of emotional experience, and thus to the inability to feel empathy, which allows for deliberate or proactive aggressiveness. Furthermore, the text presents the basic conclusions of research in the neurobiological understanding of aggression. The aggressive action is characterized by the specific functioning of the prefrontal cortex, the amygdala, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system. Abuse in childhood and relational trauma are presented as a starting point for the specific functioning of the brain and specific affect regulation, which can also be associated with aggressive behaviour in adulthood

Physical violence and scapegoating within the family

To understand physical violence in the family, it is important to define the role of the victim. The term “scapegoat” is a universal anthropological concept, often used in sociological theories, where a certain group of people and/or minorities are often victimized or blamed (e.g., social ills). We may note that the phenomenon of scapegoating is most clearly expressed in the Bible. Therefore, we will use relevant biblical texts that refer to parental use of corporal punishment in which a child is scapegoated and/or victimized by parental violence. In this sense, the Bible is the most profound explanation and manifestation of the cultural, social, and especially religious development of humanity. At the same time, the concept of scapegoating is also demonstrated in psychology and therapy, where it also serves as a basis for understanding, for example, physical violence in the family, and where it is also crucial to define the role of the victim. In this article, therefore, we will explain the biblical background of this concept and highlight two basic dynamics of violence against children in the family: when the child is the “scapegoat” for unresolved tensions in the family and when the child becomes the “sacrifice” or victim of the dysregulated emotional response of his or her parents

The Impact of Early Aggression on Late Development

Children who are victims of an early violent atmosphere or early relational trauma will often, even in adulthood, tend to behave violently towards others, or become victims of violence, or freeze and later develop the tendency towards self-injury, in particular in later adolescence. In adulthood, they can be accident-prone, engage in constant violent physical abuse, threaten with or actually commit suicide. In this article we will focus on the impact of violence that children experience from the earliest age, on how it affects their development, and is transmitted to adulthood as well as to younger generations, since violence is imprinted in the deepest organic fibres of every individual

Vulnerability in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Light of Relational Trauma

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed different ways individuals react to frustrations they have experienced. Many times we have witnessed an increased level of aggression in interpersonal relationships and in the general social context. We find that there are some differences in coping and responding according to gender, with men showing a higher level of vulnerability and risk of inappropriate regulation and expression of anger when frustrated. To a certain extent, the answer to why this happens is provided by neuroscientific research, which shows that already at an early age, boys’ brains develop differently from girls’, as it takes more time to develop their stress-regulating mechanism; consequently, due to slower development, boys are more vulnerable to early stressful situations and have more problems with self-regulation of affective states at this early age. Together with the possibility of relational trauma in the family, to which many children are exposed from the earliest period of their lives and which plays an important role in providing a context for the development of affect regulation, that means that boys and men are even more vulnerable and sensitive to stress, aggression and trauma later in life. It makes sense to take these neuroscience findings into account when building an understanding of responses to stressful challenges, such as coping with a pandemic, as well as when planning appropriate models to help individuals cope with different types of stress

Vulnerability in Facing the Covid-19 Pandemic in the Light of Relational Trauma

Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed different ways individuals react to frustrations they have experienced. Many times we have witnessed an increased level of aggression in interpersonal relationships and in the general social context. We find that there are some differences in coping and responding according to gender, with men showing a higher level of vulnerability and risk of inappropriate regulation and expression of anger when frustrated. To a certain extent, the answer to why this happens is provided by neuroscientific research, which shows that already at an early age, boys’ brains develop differently from girls’, as it takes more time to develop their stress-regulating mechanism; consequently, due to slower development, boys are more vulnerable to early stressful situations and have more problems with self-regulation of affective states at this early age. Together with the possibility of relational trauma in the family, to which many children are exposed from the earliest period of their lives and which plays an important role in providing a context for the development of affect regulation, that means that boys and men are even more vulnerable and sensitive to stress, aggression and trauma later in life. It makes sense to take these neuroscience findings into account when building an understanding of responses to stressful challenges, such as coping with a pandemic, as well as when planning appropriate models to help individuals cope with different types of stress.Coping with the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed different ways individuals react to frustrations they have experienced. Many times we have witnessed an increased level of aggression in interpersonal relationships and in the general social context. We find that there are some differences in coping and responding according to gender, with men showing a higher level of vulnerability and risk of inappropriate regulation and expression of anger when frustrated. To a certain extent, the answer to why this happens is provided by neuroscientific research, which shows that already at an early age, boys’ brains develop differently from girls’, as it takes more time to develop their stress-regulating mechanism; consequently, due to slower development, boys are more vulnerable to early stressful situations and have more problems with self-regulation of affective states at this early age. Together with the possibility of relational trauma in the family, to which many children are exposed from the earliest period of their lives and which plays an important role in providing a context for the development of affect regulation, that means that boys and men are even more vulnerable and sensitive to stress, aggression and trauma later in life. It makes sense to take these neuroscience findings into account when building an understanding of responses to stressful challenges, such as coping with a pandemic, as well as when planning appropriate models to help individuals cope with different types of stress