AD ALTA
JOURNAL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH
EXPRESSIVITY IN HIDDEN AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOURS OF CHILDREN IN PRE-CHILDREN
AGE
a
BARBORA
KOVÁČOVÁ,
b
STAN
ISLAV
BENČIČ,
c
DANIELA VALACHOVÁ
Department of Pedagogy and Special Education, Department of
Czech Language and Literature, Faculty of Education, Catholic
University, Hrabovská cesta 1A, 034 01 Ružomberok, Slovakia
a
email: barbora.kovacova@ku.sk
Faculty of Mass media, Pan-European University, Tomášikova
150/20, 821 02 Bratislava, Slovakia
b
email: stanislav.bencic@paneurouni.com
Department of Visual Arts, Faculty of Education, Matej Bel
University, Ružová 13, 974 11 Banská Bystrica, Slovakia
c
email: daniela.valachova@umb.sk
The study presents an analysis of findings from a long-term research supported by the
VEGA agency 1/0452/18 Identifications, analyses, inhibitions of latently aggressive
children´s actions in pre-school period.
Abstract: The study analyses utterances and responses of pre-school children on
hidden aggressive behaviour, they met in an inclusive kindergarten classes. The results
of the research show that beginning of aggressive behaviour is present in the early
childhood groups (latent form of aggression), and later it metamorphosesinto direct
verbal or direct brachial aggression.
Keywords: hiden aggressive behavior, pre-school children, kindergarten, research
1 Introduction
Although there are relatively extensive research about bullying
in the school environment and a lot of theoretically oriented
scientific, professional and popular articles, the basis of this
text is about a specific and low-elaborated form of bullying.
There are hidden aggressive actions that occur within the group
against the individual or several individuals at the same time.
From the experts´ point of view, the mentioned form of
bullying has different terminology. The experts agree that
despite the different terminology, that mentioned form of
aggressive action harms the group's social relationships related
to one or more individuals, and is an object of mediation
processes.
The language of persons who acts aggressively can be described
in their verbal and nonverbal communication as expressive.
Direct or hidden behaviours are clearly expressive (for example
anger as a verbal response, anger as a physical reaction).
Expressivity in the aggressive action is for the aggressors
important. (Kováčová, 2014). It is evident to see an angry,
frustrated, or hostile aggressor - if older (and more developed),
he or she is more able to control expressive behaviours, which
are "eye-visible and easily detectable" within communication.
Mainly, the kindergarten is one of the first opportunity, as
Kováčová wrote, to develop friendships and relationships that
can be out of school
(Kováčová, 2010, p. 65). According to
Dunn (1983), friendship is typical friends are those who don´t
betray and ridicule themselves using defamation in existing peer
group. This loyalty to a friend enhances their intimacy and
closeness. An example is a published friendship study where
Maquire and Dunn (1997) point to the presence of hidden
latency in children´ behaviours. I do not like X, do you?
Creating conflicts, defamation without real reason, or false
information suggests that pre-school children use hidden
aggression initially to empower an own position, later
deliberately intending to isolate an "unwanted" friend.
Friendship is a commodity, as Comstock-Galagan wrote, which
transcends so called label and stigmas. Dealing with a child
/pupil friendships, it is also a matter of gender
(Kováčová,
2014).
The hidden aggression is more visible, but ultimately, it is one
that damages relationships and weakens the child's reputation.
Goffman (1986, p. 67) confirmed that already
3 ̶ 4-year old year
children begin "with the defamation, making false information".
The author (Goffman, 1986) described the dialogue of two
children who talk relatively loudly about the third one that they
want to go away from them because they are angry with him.
Several authors reflected friendship and presence of hidden
latent strategies in their research studies. As a result of
examining relationships in peer groups was a fact that friendship
and popularity have been found to be primary aspects of social
contact in child development. A child of pre-school age
considers them crucial for their own existence in the given
society. The concept of friendship expresses a specific, intense,
affective dyadic relationship between two children, while the
concept of popularity expresses the child's perception of the
whole group. These two concepts complement each other and
are important and necessary for a child's preschool age
relationship (more in: Casas & Crick, et al., 2004). The child
who uses hidden strategies with aggressive intent in his actions
has at least one reciprocal amicable friendship relationship
(Grotpeter & Crick, 1996; Rys & Bear, 1997).
1.1 Pre-school children and latent aggression in their social
groups
Considering pre-school age hidden (latent) aggression, it is
appropriate to give its characteristics. The description of the
characteristic is significant in terms of the analysis of the
situation within the text above.
The first study of latent aggression (Crick at al., 2002(a)
considers the fact relating to the age (in the early sense –
toddler and preschooler age) if it is correct to write about
hidden-concealed aggression. According to their research
findings, the existence of definite hidden aggression in a child
age younger than 2.5 years has not been clearly confirmed.
Crick et al. (2002(b) argued that the emergence of hidden
aggression in early childhood is associated with a reduced level
of mutual acceptance (negative preferences) and an increased
tendency on the part of the peer group to reject a friends, or
just one of them. Lovaš (2010) described scenario theory as an
information processing model that explains the development of
habitual aggression among children. He claimed that the child
creates aggressive scenarios at an early age that is based on
personal experience and observation of ambience. The result is
a network of cognitive scenarios of aggressive behaviours in
specific situations. Activation of the scenario, is conditioned
by creating the conditions that consequently can cause the
situation (Lovaš, 2010, p. 37-38). It is enough to provide the
children basic information, for example: we will not play with
him/her/them, we will not invite him/her/them for somebody
celebration, or somebody will not sit with us at the table, etc.
The aggressor does not need to be hidden. According to
Kováčová (2014), a "lower" degree of concealment is typical
for this age.At the ages 3-5, hidden aggression begins with
prototype examples: "You cannot come to my birthday party
...", "You can not play with us ...". This type of behaviour is
obvious at beginning, the victim is not only informed, but the
victim is even present during the conversation. Aggressor’s
does not mind victim´s participation, usually it's a matter of
personal development of the child. Later, the aggressor
formulates his strategies through an mediator. In young school
age, latent aggressive behaviour becomes more discrete in
terms of the form of aggression and used aggressor behaviours.
The aggressor's behaviour is more elaborate and concealed.
Ostrov et al. (2004) claimed that the identity of the doer is
always known, because the child in pre-school age is
immediately dealing with the situation "here and now".
Children are struggling to reach their goal of "Being in the
spotlight, being favourite". They make their intention by
gossiping, joking against a member of the group (this is not
behaviour based on conscious calculation). Pellegrini & Roseth
(2006) argues this fact by saying that the younger aggressor (in
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