Early Childhood Antisocial Behavior

Crime is a serious issue that affects everyone in society. It affects the victims, perpetrators and their families. Crime has increased drastically within the last decade. More prisons are being built around the world because there is not enough room to hold inmates. The government has made an attempt to reduce crime by funding programs such as prevention and intervention for youth at risk , as well as rehabilitation for prisoners that will be released. Some argue that criminal behavior is due to environment, others believe that it is genetic, and yet others think that it has to do with personality. If there were certain personality traits that could be identified with potential criminal behavior, steps could be taken to try to reduce or diminish
This could include personality problems or criminal behavior.
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<br>Personality develops early in life. That is why early childhood aggression and antisocial behavior should be taken seriously. Being able to identify potential criminal behavior is vital for prevention and intervention. Childhood factors shown to relate to the development of antisocial behaviors include a difficult early temperament, low IQ, academic deficiencies and learning problems, lack of empathy, underdeveloped social skills, and negative peer relations. (Sutton,Cowen, Crean, & Wyman, 1999). Environmental factors such as family structure and poverty are also associated with potential criminal behavior. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Report (1993) noted that one violent crime (e.g. aggravated assault, murder) was committed every 22 seconds in 1992, and 15% of those arrested for such crimes were under the age of 18 (Sutton, ete.al. 1999). Juvenile delinquency is becoming more common. The age at which these young kids are committing crimes is getting younger. The crimes they are committing are getting more
However, the problem is that many youth display similar negative behavior during adolescence. This includes negative attitude, different interests, and a need for privacy. The key is to be involved in the life of today's youth. Communicating with them, spending time with them and knowing what they are involved in is part of the process. According to Peace Research Abstracts Journal, (1999) Helping youth find meaning in their lives often involves building connectedness-restoring relationships with others, with their sense of spirituality and with earth. Parents must also be aware of the warning signs and follow up on them . Warning signs in youth include showing lack of interest in family/school activities, truancy problems and poor school performance, signs of aggression, and negative peer relationships. When the parent acknowledges this behavior, the parent can takes steps to improve it, or at least stop it from getting worse. Individual counseling, and family therapy allows the family to learn how to deal with the youth's antisocial personality and possible delinquent