In our individualist society we tend to blame a child for acting out or being aggressive. We also encourage them to change these behaviors. We then seek counseling and other behavior therapy to "fix" such behaviors, and when the problem is not "fixed" we seek out additional help, including: the use of pharmaceuticals. As a society, we do not realize that this is a societal issue. We blame children for such behaviors, labeling them as having a mental health illness, giving them a diagnosis such as ADHD, and then we put them on medication. All of this is done, without fixing the root of the problem.
Part of the problem is that in todays society, parents do not spend as much time with their children as parents used to back in the day. Children spend less time outdoors learning about their environment, them selves, and others. The uprising of technology has enslaved the children of today, and their time is spent watching TV, playing video games, and using a tablet or a phone. Technology is great, if it is used the right way, but many children who tend to watch violent videos, are learning these violent behaviors through mimicking violent actions. (Robert Winston, 2004) reports that based on a study, he noticed that children who watched violent actions, tend to mimic violent actions towards their toys, friends, and others. In another recent article by (Abel Mwema 2014), research states that children who are exposed to violent actions are more likely to act violent, use violence to solve problems, use violence to feel attractive and to improve their self esteem. Children will develop and grow believing that violence is the norm, and will use violence in the future.
We see many of these dynamics within survivors of domestic violence. Children raised in households where domestic violence was a "norm", will mimic these behaviors outside of the house including: in school, in the community, and in therapy or counseling sessions. In therapy as well as in school, they will express their feelings and use violent actions in their play (or play therapy) to understand and resolve these feelings. Children who have witness domestic violence, will also most likely choose to live in a violent relationship, where they will be a perpetrator or a victim.
In communities and societies where individuals turn to violence to solve problems, children observe their peers and tend to develop violent behaviors. For example, in Latin America, men are very oppressive towards women, a behavior and social norm known as Machismo. Young boys learn through mimicking behaviors of oppression against women at a very young age. They learn that women are the ones who cook, clean, maintain the house, are responsible for the chores around the house, are the caretakers of the children, and that their husbands make the rules. In many cases, men use violence to discipline their wife's if they didn't accomplish these household responsibilities. Younger boys who are raised in this society, see that these behaviors are the "norm", and from a young age they mimic and begin to follow such behaviors and actions. They often follow these norms with-in a heterosexual relationship, and learn that as a man, it is their duty to follow these roles.
Citations:
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2004/jan/07/highereducation.uk
Mwema, A. (2014). Effects of Media Violence on Children. Pediatrics for Parents. Retrieved on June 23, 2016, from http://www.pedsforparents.com/general/102897/effects-of-media-violence-on-children/
