Child_Misbehavior

There are four goals that are believed to guide all forms of misbehavior: attention, power, revenge, and a display of inadequacy. These goals derive from children's private logic—what they think of themselves, others, and life, and the goals they set for themselves. These four categories of misbehavior are seen as goals in that the misbehavior achieves something for the individual. “The concept of the four goals of misbehavior is premised on the assumption that people are social creatures whose behavior is purposeful and whose primary desire is to belong. Thus, the four goals of misbehavior are actually underlying goals, each of which is believed to aid people in the quest for belonging.” (Heath) Children who misbehave to obtain attention have learned from previous social experiences that certain unacceptable behaviors gain attention from others, even though the attention is typically negative. Those who misbehave with the goal of power have discovered a way of gaining a type of power by misbehaving. Individuals whose misbehavior derives from the goal of revenge are those whose bids for attention and power have been met with such negative consequences that they are motivated by the goal of seeking revenge. Finally, people who misbehave with a goal of displaying inadequacy are those who do not try, are often seen as lazy, are unkempt, or appear to be unmotivated. These individuals have given up trying to gain attention or power and feel powerless to seek revenge. When teenagers, especially younger teenagers, give birth, their future plans decline drastically. Teenage mothers are less likely to complete school, more likely to have large families, and more likely to be single parents. They work as much as women who delay pregnancy for several years, but their earnings must provide for a larger number of children. “In the United States, teen pregnancy is an important problem. In 1997, the last year for which accurate estimates are available, about 896,000 young women under the age of twenty became pregnant.”(Ringwalt) It is the children of teenage mothers, however, who may bear the greatest brunt of their mothers' young age. In comparison with those born to mothers aged twenty or twenty-one, children born to mothers aged fifteen to seventeen tend to have less supportive and stimulating home environments, poorer health, lower cognitive development, worse educational outcomes, higher rates of behavior problems, and higher rates of adolescent childbearing themselves. There are several reasons why children may not behave properly, including a lack of effective disciplinary measures. Children also commonly misbehave when they are deprived of adult attention or when they are tired, bored, or hungry. “Children from families affected by divorce and separation, poverty, substance abuse, and parental depression seem to be at greater risk for behavior problems. There may also be biologic factors such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and certain temperaments that predispose particular children towards misbehavior.”(Swartout-Corbeil) There is also research suggesting that harsh disciplinary measures may actually increase poor behavior. Ideally, discipline is based on appropriate expectations for each child, based on age and stage of development. It should be used to set reasonable limits in a consistent manner while still allowing some choice among acceptable alternatives. Discipline teaches both social and moral standards and should protect children from harm by teaching what is safe. It should also guide children to respect the rights and property of others.