Childhood Aggression and Violence: Sources of Influence, Prevention and Control

306 Pages·1987·9.55 MB·English

by  Deane Neubauer (auth.)

Childhood Aggression
and Violence
Sources of Influence,
Prevention, and Control
APPLIED CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Series Editors:
Alan S. Bellack, Medical College of Pennsylvania at EPPI, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania,
and Michel Hersen, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Current Volumes in this Series
CHILDHOOD AGGRESSION AND VIOLENCE
Sources of Influence, Prevention, and Control
Edited by David H. Crowell, Ian M. Evans, and Clifford R. O'Donnell
HANDBOOK OF ASSESSMENT IN CHILDHOOD PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Applied Issues in Differential Diagnosis and Treatment Evaluation
Edited by Cynthia L. Frame and Johnny L. Matson
HANDBOOK OF BEHAVIORAL GROUP THERAPY
Edited by Dennis Upper and Steven M. Ross
ISSUES IN PSYCHOTHERAPY RESEARCH
Edited by Michel Hersen, Larry Michelson, and Alan S. Bellack
A PRIMER OF HUMAN BEHAVIORAL PHARMACOLOGY
Alan Poling
THE PRIV ATE PRACTICE OF BEHA VIOR THERAPY
Sheldon J. Kaplan
RESEARCH METHODS IN APPLIED BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS
Issues and Advances
Edited by Alan Poling and R. Wayne Fuqua
SEVERE BEHAVIOR DISORDERS IN THE MENTA LL Y RETARDED
Nondrug Approaches to Treatment
Edited by Rowland P. Barrett
SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Edited by Arthur 1. Alterman
TREATING ADDICTIVE BEHA VIORS
Processes of Change
Edited by William R. Miller and Nick Heather
A Continuation Order Plan is available for this series. A continuation order will bring delivery
of each new volume immediately upon publication. Volumes are billed only upon actual ship
ment. For further information please contact the publisher.
Childhood Aggression
and Violence
Sources of Influence,
Prevention, and Control
Edited by
David H. Crowell
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
Ian M. Evans
State University of New York at Binghamton
Binghamton, New York
and
Clifford R. O'Donnell
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Honolulu, Hawaii
Plenum Press • New York and London
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Childhood aggression and violence.
(Applied clinical psychology)
Based on one of a series of symposia initiated by the Dept. of Psychology, University
of Hawaii at Manoa.
Includes bibliographies and index.
1. Aggressiveness in children-Congresses. 2. Violence in children-Congresses. 3.
Child psychopathology-Congresses. 1. Crowell, David Harrison. II. Evans, Ian M. III.
O'Donnell, Clifford R. IV. University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dept. of Psychology. V.
Series. [DNLM: 1. Aggression - in infancy & childhood - congresses. 2. Child Behavior
Disorders - congresses. 3. Social Behavior Disorders - in infancy and childhood
congresses. WS 350.8.A4 C536]
RJ506.A35C48 1986 618.92/8582 86-30359
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5172-6 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-5170-2
DOl: 10.1 007/978-1-4684-5170-2
© 1987 Plenum Press, New York
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1987
A Division of Plenum Publishing Corporation
233 Spring Street, New York, N. Y. 10013
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming,
recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher
To Doris, Michael, Sandra, Shannon, and Megan
D.H. C.
To my spouse, Luanna Meyer, colleague and friend
I. M. E.
To Barbara, my wife, lover, and favorite person
c. R. o.
Contri butors
Jay Belsky
College of Human Development, Department of Individual and Family
Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Meda Chesney-Lind
Youth Development and Research Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa,
Honolulu, Hawaii
David H. Crowell
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
Hawaii
Eric Dubow
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago,
Illinois
Leonard Eron
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Ian M. Evans
Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Binghamton,
Binghamton, New York
J. David Hawkins
School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
L. Rowell Huesmann
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago,
Iilinois
Denise Lishner
School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
vii
viii CONTRIBUTORS
Teru Morton
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii
Deane Neubauer
Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
Hawaii
Clifford R. O'Donnell
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
Hawaii
David Pearl
Chief, Behavioral Sciences Research Branch, Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and
Mental Health Administration, Rockville, Maryland
Jonathan H. Pincus
Department of Neurology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven,
Connecticut
Ricbard Romanoff
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Alice D. Scheuer
Department of Psychology, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu,
Hawaii
Elliot Turiel
Division of Educational Psychology, Department of Education, University of
California, Berkeley, California
Joan Vondra
College of Human Development, Department of Individual and Family
Studies, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania
Patty Warnick Yarmel
Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago,
Illinois
Preface
The conference on which this volume is based was one of a series of symposia
initiated by the Department of Psychology at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
on the theory and research surrounding topics of interest to the faculty and
germane to the Hawaiian community. In order to encourage interaction around
specific themes, the symposium series has assembled a small, select group of
scholars to exchange knowledge, ideas, and enthusiasm with the resident faculty,
students, and the community at large.
The first two symposia concentrated on cross-cultural themes (Marsella,
Tharp, & Ciborowski, 1979; Marsella, DeVos, & Hsu, 1985). The third one
addressed a significant social problem: aggression and violence in children. At
the time that our plan was being developed, Hawaii, along with mainland states,
was experiencing or at least expressing widespread alarm over the involvement
of children and youth in violent crime, in belligerence at school, as perpetrators
of aggression at home, and as victims of physical abuse.
This symposium was planned around a major area within the department,
the Clinical Studies Program. The Clinical Studies Program has developed along
two interrelated lines of concentration: one emphasized the foundation of clin
cical psychology in basic science and the other expanded its purview into the
broader community, covering prevention, systems change, and social networks.
It was in this spirit that we tried to link the traditions of a psychobiologist, a
developmental psychologist, a clinical psychologist, and a community psychol
ogist with participants who were leading aggression and behavioral researchers
with clinical and applied orientations. To this blend of local and national exper
tise, we extend our warmest aloha and appreciation.
To reflect further our focus on sources of influence and social change, each
participant was asked to contribute a practical workshop in addition to a formal
presentation. This concern for application was especially appreciated by various
service providers in the community.
The involvement of these groups and individuals-many of them concerned
ix
x PREFACE
largely with direct service-typified the intent of the symposium, which was to
reveal the practical implications of behavioral research in childhood aggression.
Many of the speakers commented on the fact that aggressive behavior is "multi
ply determined" -it became almost the catchphrase of the conference. Multiply
determined, but not mysteriously determined. When reading these chapters, one
cannot help but be struck by the extent of our basic understanding in behavioral
science of a social issue such as aggression. In an address given in Honolulu
some years ago, Theodore Blau, then president of the American Psychological
Association, commented on how much we really do know as psychologists (a
position of stark contrast to our usual academic stance bemoaning our great
ignorance). This general optimism-that significant understanding is attainable
even when we refuse to oversimplify the cause of social ills-is a dominant
theme of the remarks made by Deane Neubauer, dean of the Faculty of Social
Sciences in the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dean Neubauer gave us his
wholehearted administrative support and graciously agreed to write the introduc
tion to this volume. We thank him heartily for both.
This conference is the result of the efforts of the organizing committee:
Robert J. Blanchard, psychobiologist and a nationally and internationally recog
nized researcher on aggression; David H. Crowell, a developmental psychol
ogist, whose involvement was a continuation of interests developed early in his
clinical career as a consultant to the Minimum Sentence Board, Oahu State
Prison, and to the Juvenile Court, First Judicial District, State of Hawaii; Ian M.
Evans, a clinical psychologist, who contributed a broad theoretical and applied
behavioral orientation toward childhood aggression; and Clifford R. O'Donnell,
a researcher with the Youth Development and Research Center, whose interests
in community psychology insured an interdisciplinary focus on aggression in
children.
Our department has a number of members who have themselves made
notable contributions to aggression research, particularly Carolyn Blanchard,
whose national and international reputation is well known, and to developmental
and educational research, particularly Richard Dubanoski and Roland Tharp.
They provided important input and suggestions for which we express our sincere
appreciation. Our student clerical support also must not go unmentioned and
appreciation is expressed to Cecilia Valdez and Carol Sulfelix.
A number of agencies extended substantial material support to make the
symposium possible. We are particularly grateful to the director, Jack T.
Nagoshi, and the staff members of the Youth Development and Research Center
of the School of Social Work at the University of Hawaii, especially Joyce Tanji
and Lanette Yoshioka.
Finally, special thanks and credit must go to Alice Scheuer, who is a
doctoral student in clinical psychology. Her assistance made a major contribution
PREFACE xi
to the editing of this collection, tackling both style and content with authority.
We are greatly indebted to her and her outstanding work.
DAVID H. CROWELL
IAN M. EVANS
CLIFFORD R. O'DONNELL
REFERENCES
Marsella, A. J., Tharp, R., & Ciborowski, T. (Eds.). (1979). Perspectives on cross-cultural psychol
ogy. New York: Academic Press.
Marsella, A. J., DeVos, G., & Hsu, F. L. K. (Eds.). (1985). Culture and self: Asian and western
perspectives. New York: Tavistock.