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5. CAUSES CONNECTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT Home The relationship children have with their parents, particularly during the early years, is critical to the way they learn to behave. More than two decades of research have shown that antisocial children are more likely to come from homes in which parents are inconsistent disciplinarians, use harsh and excessive punishment to manage behavior problems, spend little time engaged in pro-social activities with children, do not monitor the whereabouts and activities of their children, and show little love and affection for good behavior. However, it would be wrong to blame parents for the behavior of their children as the relationship between parent and child is dynamic and reciprocal. In other words, the behavior of the child affects the behavior of the parents just as much as the parents’ actions affect the child’s action. Community Peers are another source of social influence, particularly after the child enters the second level of elementary school. When students associate with peers who exhibit antisocial behavior, they are more likely to experience additional trouble in the community and school. As mentioned above, children with EBD have problems making friend. It is no wonder that they often become members of groups or gangs with norms and values different from the majority society. Alcohol and drug abuse, early sexual experience, theft and violence are characteristic behaviors of such groups that contribute to the development and maintenance of an antisocial lifestyle. School Some children already have EBD when they begin school; others develop such disorders during their school years, perhaps in part because of damaging experience in the classroom itself. Schooling practices that contribute to the development of emotional and behavioral problems in children include ineffective instruction that results in academic failure, unclear rules and expectations for appropriate behavior, inconsistent and punitive discipline practices, infrequent teacher praise and approval for academic and social behavior, and failure to individualize instruction to accommodate diverse learners. Cultural factors Values and behavioral standards are communicated to children through a variety of cultural conditions, demands, prohibitions, and models. Several specific cultural influences come to mind: the level of violence in the media, the use of terror as a means of coercion, the availability of recreational drug and the level of drug abuse, changing standards of sexual conduct, religious demands and restrictions on behavior, and the threat of war. Undoubtedly, the culture in which a child is reared influences his or her emotional, social, and behavioral development. With such a wealth of explanations, it is easy to see why practitioners might choose different approaches in identifying, treating, and preventing various behavioral disorders. However, the variety of theoretical frameworks and perspectives provides clinicians with number of avenues for explaining the presence of certain behaviors. Therefore, the causes of EBD may be explained from the point of view of the following theories. The Biophysical Approach From this point of view, EBD is a function of inherited or abnormal biological condition, or genetic abnormality or decease. Professional that follows the biophysical approach would see EBD as a condition similar to deceases like diabetes. According to this theory individuals with EBD should benefit from medications that address some biological factors or deficits that give rise to their challenging behaviors. The Psychoanalytic Approach Subconscious processes, predispositions, and early traumatic experiences explain the presence of EBD from a psychoanalytic perspective. These internal processes are unobservable events that occur in the mind. As individuals gain insight into their psychic conflicts via psychotherapy, they may be able to eliminate or solve their behavioral problems. For children, this process may occur through play therapy, in which inner conflicts are revealed and subsequently resolved, family therapy, and psychotherapy. The Behavioral Approach The behavioral approach focuses on aspects of the environment that prompt, reward, diminish, or punish certain behaviors. Through treatment, adults and children are given opportunities to learn new adaptive behaviors by identifying realistic goals, understanding what environmental features trigger both functional and maladaptive behaviors, and receiving positive reinforcement for attaining these goals. Gradually, aberrant behaviors are eliminated or replaced by more appropriate ones. This approach, more than most others, has a significant research base affirming its effectiveness in treating a broad array of disorders and challenging behaviors. The Phenomenological Approach From a phenomenological point of view, abnormal behaviors arise from feelings, thoughts, and past events tied to a person’s self-perception or self-concept. Faulty perceptions of feelings are thought to cause individuals to behave in ways that are counterproductive to self-fulfillment. Therapy is centered on helping people develop satisfactory perceptions and behaviors that are in agreement with self-selected values. The Sociological-Ecological Approach The sociological-ecological model is by far the most widely encompassing explanation of EBD. Aberrant behaviors are presumed to be caused by a variety of interactions and transactions with other people. For some theorists, the deviant behaviors are taught as part of the person’s culture. For others, the behaviors are a function of labeling. According to this perspective, individuals labeled as juvenile delinquents, gradually adopt the patterns of behavior that are associated with the assigned label. In addition, others who are aware of the label begin to treat the labeled individuals as though they were truly delinquent.
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