Why Do Teens Resort to Violence So Quickly?
Written by E D, Posted on , in Section Teens & Tweens
What causes teens to resort to violence as their first ‘go to’ response in so many situations? It’s not as complicated as we may want to imagine. Fight or flight. The most basic of base instincts, this reaction governs nearly every aspect of our interactions. Teens are still developing, learning to curb their base instincts with more rational thought. We like to think of ourselves as more evolved than to resort to our baser reactions, but the truth, is that we are still very much controlled by them.
Teens are already a boiling pot of developmental changes all jumbled together trying to sort out self. The smallest trigger can set off an unprepared teen into a flurry of emotion. If this trigger makes them feel bad or scared, a violent outburst, physical or emotional, can easily result. Without learning healthy methods for managing the more powerful emotions teens can fall to the grip of violence.
You want to take a teen with violent tendencies and teach them to fight?
As their instructor would say, “That is a fair objection.” However, the Therapy Insider approach focuses more on the student’s mood and attitude, the interaction between student and sensei. The reverence and respect fostered in the more traditional karate class can help to set the stage in ongoing therapy sessions.
