An Adlerian Model for the Etiology of Aggression in Adjudicated Adolescents

Abstract

This study investigated perceived parental rejection, family cohesion and adaptability, and levels of trait anger and anxiety and their relationship to the etiology of aggression in adolescents who have been adjudicated for assaultive crimes. An attempt was made to translate these psychological constructs into a theory-based model from the principles of individual psychology by Alfred Adler. This study supports Adler’s aggression theory, which established that aggression may begin with feelings of inferiority or anxiety within the family. When these feelings of anxiety increase, some adolescents may use anger as a safeguard to their selfesteem. Adler described this use of anger as the compensatory movement and suggested that anger used to overcome feelings of inferiority results in aggression. This intense anger appears to direct attention, interests, perceptions, and memory into paths of impulsive aggression.