The use of adolescent aggression has been documented as being increasingly problematic (Faretra, 1981; Marohn, 1982; Short & Simeonsson, 1986). Violence in the schools has increased at a rate of sixty per cent in a five year period from 1971 to 1975 (Short & Simeonsson, 1986). A relationship has been found to exist between juvenile delinquents\u27 use of aggressive behaviors and their use of irrational beliefs and emotional reasoning (Bandura, 1977; Ellis, 1977a, 1983; Burns, 1981). Irrational beliefs are idealized concepts or beliefs to which the user subscribes, and are based on the individual\u27s emotional state rather than on factual evidence (Ellis, 1984; Burns, 1981; Orbach & Hadas, 1977). Juvenile delinquents\u27 aggressive behaviors are not the consequence of the activating event which made them feel bad or use acting out behaviors, but instead it is what they believe about the event which triggers their response of aggression (Ellis & Grieger, 1977; Grieger & Boyd, 1980). It is the irrational beliefs about what happened, or the activating event rather than the event itself, which are used by individuals as a basis to decide to choose inappropriate behaviors such as aggression (Kassinove, Crisci, & Tiegerman, 1977; DiGiuseppe & Kassinove, 1976; Knaus, 1974)
