Understanding Anger in Children

Anger is the reaction of anger, rage and aggression shown in the face of frustration, hurt or intimidation. Situations such as not getting what you want, thinking that you are being treated unfairly, losing a friend, missed opportunities, fights, not being understood, disrespect, and disappointment cause anger in children.

Anger is an extremely healthy and natural emotion when expressed appropriately. Anger emerges with some external and internal events. The main reason underlying the negative perception of anger is the violent behavior that often accompanies it. Violence is when a person cannot express himself/herself in appropriate ways due to the feeling of being blocked and causes physical or psychological harm to an object or person. It can also be defined as the violation of the other party's boundaries. Every act of violence may contain anger, but not every anger causes violence.

Family is the first social environment in which our emotions are formed. We learn in the family what emotional reactions we will give about ourselves and others, our thoughts about these feelings and how to express them. In the family, children are not directly taught how to think, how to express their emotions, and how to behave. Emotional exchange between spouses creates a model for this. The emotions and behaviors that adults show to those around them form the framework of children's emotional lives. A supportive adult response reduces the child's negative emotions and helps him cope with these negative emotions more easily. An unsupportive adult reaction may cause the child to constantly feel and express negative emotions and to be unable to cope with these emotions.