Treating Child and Adolescent Aggression Through Bibliotherapy

241 Pages·2009·1.52 MB·English

by  Zipora Shechtman (auth.)

The Springer Series on Human Exceptionality
DonaldH.Saklofske,Ph.D.
DivisionofAppliedPsychology
UniversityofCalgary,Canada
MosheZeidner,Ph.D.
CenterforInterdisciplinaryResearchonEmotions
DepartmentofHumanDevelopmentandCounseling
HaifaUniversity,Israel
Forfurthervolumes,goto:
www.springer.com/series/6450
Zipora Shechtman
Treating Child and
Adolescent Aggression
Through Bibliotherapy
1 3
ZiporaShechtman
UniversityofHaifa
MountCarmel
Israel
ISSN:1572-5642
ISBN:978-0-387-09743-5 e-ISBN:978-0-387-09745-9
DOI10.1007/978-0-387-09745-9
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2008938332
#SpringerScienceþBusinessMedia,LLC2009
Allrightsreserved.Thisworkmaynotbetranslatedorcopiedinwholeorinpartwithoutthewritten
permissionofthepublisher(SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC,233SpringStreet,NewYork,
NY10013,USA),exceptforbriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysis.Usein
connectionwithanyformofinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computer
software,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdevelopedisforbidden.
Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,evenifthey
arenotidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyare
subjecttoproprietaryrights.
Printedonacid-freepaper
springer.com
To my dear family
The source of my energy and support
With love
To the many students who applied the
method of bibliotherapy
The source of the case studies and
illustrations
With appreciation
Preface
Aggression among children and adolescents is a highly disturbing behavior,
whether it takes place at home, in the school, on the playground, or in the
community.Attemptshavebeenmadetopreventaggressionthroughdisciplin-
aryaction(‘‘ZeroTolerance’’approach)andsocialenhancement(‘‘Well-Being’’
approach), but while they often do result in decreased aggression, they don’t
work for everyone. Owing to various individual differences (temperament,
family circumstances, developmental difficulties, etc.), some children remain
aggressivedespitethoseefforts.Classroomandschool-basededucationalpro-
grams to reduce aggression are often of a primary prevention type, targeted
toward the normative population in the school. But the children and adoles-
centswhoareathighriskforaggressivebehaviorneedasecondaryprevention
treatment,onethataddressestheuniquedifficultiesofaggressiveyoungpeople.
Take,forexample,therecentshooting atVirginiaTechnicalUniversity, in
which a college student killed 32 peers and professors and then committed
suicide. This was an act of one very angry and lonely young man, as were
othermassshootingsinschoolsintheUnitedStates.Itisthisanger,loneliness,
and sense of rejection that need to be addressed in the treatment of these
children,startingatanearlyage.
Ignoringtheneedsoftheaggressor istypicalofoursociety.Paradoxically,
themorepreventionattemptsaremadethemoredifficultbecomesthesituation
for such children and youth. Prevention programs enhance awareness of the
norms, rules and regulations expected in a certain setting, and any deviation
fromthemarousesantagonismandanger.Becauseaggressivechildrendemon-
strate deviantbehavior thatdoesnotadheretogroup rules, and because they
are a threat to others, they are rejected by their peers and by adults. Indeed,
adults are often quite helpless in facing the challenges these youngsters pose.
Teachers even feel unsafe in schools and often don’t know how to cope with
highlyaggressivestudents.Asaresult,theypunishratherthantreatthem.
Itmakessensetopunishthosewhoinflictharmonothers,whouseforceto
achievetheirgoals,andwhotakeadvantageoftheirpoweragainstvictims.We
canevenrationalizethepunishmentbyarguingthatweareprotectingtheweak.
Butisthiseffectiveinreducingaggressionoftheperpetrators?TheargumentI
make in this book is that rejecting and punishing aggressive children
vii
viii Preface
perpetuatesthoseverylifeexperiencesthatmadethemaggressiveindividualsin
thefirstplace.Ifwewanttobreakthecycleofaggression,weneedtohelpthem.
Aggressionisthesymptom,notthecauseofthebehavior.Ratherthanpushing
themawayfromthesocialmainstream,weneedtounderstandtheirdifficulties,
trytoaddresstheirspecialneeds,andbringthembacktosociety.
Think for a moment about driving on a wet road, when suddenly the car
veerstotheright.Yourfirstinstinctistoturnthewheelinthesamedirection,
butactuallyyoushouldturnittheotherway.So,too,withaggressiveyouth,we
needtoactagainstourbasicinstincts,toloveratherthanhate,toacceptrather
thanreject,tonurtureratherthanpunish,andtoreachoutratherthanavoid.
Efforts to change aggressive behavior are commonly based on cognitive
restructuring, because aggressive children exhibit distorted social information
processing.Theytendtoascribehostilemeaningtowardthemandreactaggres-
sivelyindefensewithoutconsideringalternativebehavior.Althoughthedeficit
ininformationprocessingisclear,treatmentthatfocuses solelyonthisdeficit
maybe insufficient,becauseemotionalfactorsplayan important role in their
aggressivebehavior.Aggressivechildrenarefrustrated,dissatisfied,angry,and
lonely.Theyfeelthattheyneedtoprotectthemselvesfromfurtherdisrespect,
intimidation,andattacks.Mostofthetime,theyareunawareoftheproblems
their behavior is causing to others. They rather see themselves as victims of
others’aggressionandtheirownbehaviorasan‘‘innocent’’attempttodefend
themselves. Even when theydo havesome awarenessoftheir antisocial beha-
vior, these vulnerable children will not easily abandon their aggression, as it
provides them with a sense of power that they need for their survival. This is
whyaggressionissoresistanttochange.
Changingaggressivebehaviorisnotaneasytask.Itrequirespromotingthe
developmentof self-awareness without frightening thechild. We must engage
thechildinanempoweringprocessandenhancehis/hermotivationtomakea
change. And we must offer an alternative to aggression. All these require an
environmentofcare,recognition,respect,andsupport.Thesearethenecessary
conditions for any successful therapy, but they are insufficient conditions for
treatment of aggression. In addition, we need to apply special methods and
techniques that help us capture the child’s attention, raise the motivation to
change, increase cooperation with the therapist in the change process, and
reduceself-defensiveness.
I offer bibliotherapy as an adjunct to a therapeutic process based on an
integrative theory of treatment. Telling stories that are relevant to aggressive
behavior present an indirect treatment for the child, one that minimizes self-
defensiveness.Itpermitschildrentounderstandtheirbehaviorwithoutfocus-
ing directly on themselves. Through identification with the characters in the
story, they can learn about the reasons for aggression and its consequences
withouthavingtofeelashamed,guilty,orthreatened.Intheprocessofdiscuss-
ingalternativebehaviorstoaggressionforthecharacter,theybecomeawareof
theirownalternativestoaggression.Allthisisdoneinanindirectway,sothat
the children are not quite aware of the pressure to change. Indeed, reducing
Preface ix
externalpressuretochangeisthekey;itisofutmostimportanceforaggressive
childrenandyouthbecauseoftheoppositionalnatureoftheirdisturbance.
Bibliotherapy entails the use of literature for therapeutic purposes and it
includeslisteningtostoriesandpoems,watchingfilms,andlookingatpictures.
Itisaplayful,engaging,andfunprocess.Inasafeclimate,childreneventually
make theconnection to their ownfeelings and behavior and become readyto
takechargeoftheirlives.
The integrative theory that we apply entails the treatment of aggressive
children in stages. First, we use humanistic principles to create the necessary
conditionsforchange:bondingwiththetherapist(individualtherapy)orwith
thetherapistandotherchildren(grouptherapy),andcreatingasafesocialand
emotional climate in which self-disclosure is promoted. Next, in the working
stage,throughtheuseofstories,poems,pictures,andfilms,weapplypsycho-
dynamic principles to develop awareness of their unconscious behavior.
Finally, we use cognitive-behavioral principles to develop processes in which
the children consider the pros and cons of aggressive behavior, and make a
commitmenttochangetheirbehavior.
The method is most often used in the school, but it can equally be used at
home, in private clinics, and in corrective facilities, among others. With some
modifications and adjustments of the literature, it can be applied to specific
types of aggression (relational, reactive, and proactive) and in unique areas
(e.g.,sexualaggression,addictions,andanimalabuse).
Over the past 10 years, my colleagues and I have worked successfully with
thismethodwithhundredsofchildren,inbothindividualandgroupformats.
Throughaseriesofempiricalstudies,wewereabletoshowthatthemethodis
effectiveinreducingaggressionandincreasingempathy—theflipsideofaggres-
sion.Wealsowereabletolearnagreatdealaboutthechangeprocessesthatthe
childrenundergo.
I would like to share this knowledge and understanding with professionals
whostrugglewithaggressivebehavior.Theseincludeteachers,schoolcounse-
lors,psychologists,socialworkers,andothermentalhealthemployees.Parents,
whoarecurrentlyquitehelplessinconflictsituationsathome,mayalsofindthis
approachamenabletotheirneeds.
Contents
1 TheNatureofAggressiveChildren ........................... 1
TheProblem ............................................ 1
TypesofAggression ...................................... 3
Bullying.............................................. 3
ReactiveandProactiveAggression......................... 5
CausesofAggression ..................................... 7
Genetic,Biological,andTemperamentalFactors.............. 7
FamilyFactors ........................................ 8
SocialInfluences ....................................... 11
LearningDisabilities.................................... 13
CharacteristicsofAggressiveChildren........................ 14
VerbalizationofEmotions ............................... 14
Empathy ............................................. 16
PerceptionProblems:TheEndorsementofPower............. 17
Self-control ........................................... 18
SummaryandImplicationsforTreatment..................... 18
2 BibliotherapyasaMethodofTreatment ....................... 21
Introduction ............................................ 21
CognitiveBibliotherapy ................................... 22
StudiesofCognitiveBibliotherapyTreatments ............... 23
DrawbacksofCognitiveBibliotherapy...................... 25
AffectiveBibliotherapy.................................... 26
BenefitsofAffectiveBibliotherapy......................... 26
TheNeedforaTherapist ................................ 28
LevelsofProjectionandFormsofBibliotherapyMaterials...... 30
ResearchSupportingtheContributionofAffective
Bibliotherapy.......................................... 32
Summary............................................... 36
3 BibliotherapyandTreatmentofAggression..................... 39
TheRationaleforUsingBibliotherapywithAggressiveChildren... 39
TheTheoreticalFoundation................................ 42
xi
xii Contents
StudiesValidatingtheChangeProcess........................ 47
TherapistSkills .......................................... 48
TheContentofIntervention................................ 51
Anger................................................ 51
Empathy ............................................. 52
PowerUseandMisuse .................................. 54
LackofSelf-control .................................... 56
ResearchSupportingOutcomes ............................. 58
Summary............................................... 63
4 TheApplicationofAffectiveBibliotherapy ..................... 67
SelectingtheLiterature:LiteraryQuality...................... 67
ThemesforDiscussion .................................... 71
AngerandAngerManagement............................ 72
IncreasingEmpathy .................................... 73
TheMisuseofPower.................................... 75
Self-control ........................................... 77
AdjustingtheLiteraturetotheChangeProcess................. 78
TheInitialStage ....................................... 78
TheWorkingStage..................................... 80
TheActionStage....................................... 82
DevelopmentalConsiderations.............................. 83
TheBibliotherapySession:ProcessandFormat ................ 84
ARecommendedBibliotherapyFormat..................... 84
TheRoleandSkillsoftheTherapist........................ 88
Summary............................................... 90
5 GroupsforAggressiveChildren.............................. 93
Introduction ............................................ 93
AdvantagesoftheGroupSetting.......................... 94
Demonstration:AGroupofYoungChildren .................. 97
Introduction .......................................... 97
TheGroupProcess ..................................... 97
Evaluation............................................ 102
Demonstration:AGroupofAdolescents...................... 103
Introduction .......................................... 103
TheGroupProcess ..................................... 103
Evaluation............................................ 115
Summary............................................... 118
6 IndividualTreatment ...................................... 121
Introduction ............................................ 121
TreatmentofaYoungBoy................................. 121
Background........................................... 121
TreatmentProcess...................................... 122