Parenting is the process of physically, socially, emotionally, and psychologically developing children through the provision of a healthy environment. One of the essential elements of a healthy environment is the provision of a place where the children feel safe and supported.
What is parenting?
There are some factors that may adversely affect their feeling safe and supported. One of such factors may be parental aggression.
What is aggressive parenting?
Although, as a parent, no one wants to be unkind or intolerable towards their children, it happens everywhere. An aggressive person reacts in a hostile way to any situation, which may be reflected in harsh speaking, throwing objects, yelling, and even hurting someone physically. It may encompass passive aggressive behaviors along with taunts, criticizing, insulting, and deliberately terminating someone’s views and opinions.
One may behave in such a manner as a parent towards their children as well. There may be many reasons behind it. For example, a parent may be frustrated, angry due to some reason, or stressed and take it out on their children. On the other hand, it may be because they don’t know the correct way to discipline their children. They may also have become victims of negative parenting during their childhood.
Types of parental aggression
There are different types of parental aggression.
- Physical aggression
This type of aggression includes punching, pushing, arm twisting, beating, biting, hair pulling, burning, stabbing, force feeding, and slapping.
- Mental aggression/abuse
Rage, Gas lighting, starring, silent treatment, projection, twisting, manipulation, and victim card
- Verbal aggression
Extremes in volume and tone voice, intimidating words, intense manner of speech, personal attacks, no apology, blame game, browbeating
- Emotional aggression
Nitpicking, embarrassment or shame, increased anxiety, excessive guilt, confusion, alienation, anger or fear, hostility, or rejection
- Financial aggression/abuse
Forbidden access to a child’s money occurs when parents financially support their children; opening bank accounts by parents without the knowledge of their children, putting credit cards in the child’s name without their knowledge of their budget, punishing the child to spend their own money, forbidding the child from earning money or getting education
Causes of Parental aggression
A parent might be frustrated, stressed, or angry over something else but take it out on their children.
It might also be the reason that parents do not want their children to commit mistakes
Parents may be aggressive because they want to pay attention to them and protect them from expected dangers.
It is also possible that the parents may be suffering from depression and anxiety and, ultimately, may not be able to behave properly with their children.
Or they themselves might be victims of unstable parenting and, hence, don’t know the right way to discipline their kids.Â
There may be some social reasons for parental aggression as well. Since parental practices largely depends on elements such as material status and socioeconomic status,
It is concluded from the research studies that children of power-indulging parents have internal behavioral problems
Effects of parental aggression on children
The parental aggression may result in poor psychological adjustment, along with the following negative personality traits:
- Aggression
- Dependence
- Negative self-esteem
- Negative self-adequacy
- Emotional instability
- Emotional unresponsiveness
- Negative world worth
- Bully or victimize
Those adolescents who faced aggression or rejection used to bully their parents.
In the same way, parental resentment, hostility, and anger lead to an increase in aggression among their children. It is because parental aggression may be used as a means to regain social influence and control.
Parental aggressive behavior and social development of children
The social development of children is profoundly affected by parental aggression. Those children who witness aggression may have poor social skills, emotional withdrawal, and aggressive behavior. They may not trust others, hindering social relations with others. It may also result in academic struggles and isolation. So it is essential to address this issue through the breaking of the cycle of violence and the promotion of healthy parental interactions with their children.
Children raised in family environments where there is harsh treatment and abuse from the parents have difficulties in social development. Such children struggle to meet societal norms and eventually properly adopt them in their society.
So a change in parenting styles can change the behavior of their children in a positive way. If the children face parental aggression, there is a chance that they will respond in the form of physical outbursts, self-harm, or self-isolation. Thus, their social skills are badly affected.
Those children who become victims of parental aggression can easily become victims of bullying.
Parental aggressive behavior and Physical development of children
Detrimental effects on the physical development of children can be witnessed due to parental aggression. Due to anxiety and stress arising from parenting, it can create many physical problems among children, like sleep disturbances, changes in appetite, and health issues. Additionally, injuries and long-term health problems due to violence from parents can be caused.