ABSTRACT
Research on the development of aggression highlights the central role of relationships in shaping development. Children learn almost everything about themselves, others, and the world through their experiences in relationships (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2004). When children’s relationships fail to support their social-emotional development, aggressive behaviour patterns become consolidated and sustained across time and settings. Emerging research reveals the complex ways in which children’s experiences become embedded in their biology. Therefore, to understand the development of aggression, we need a binocular perspective, integrating one lens focused on individual children’s development and another lens focused on the way in which others interact with children, creating the context for development (Pepler, 2006). This chapter starts with a consideration of the biological foundations for children’s development, followed by a focus on the role of relationships in the development of aggression. Observational and other research sheds light on what does and does not develop in the contexts of the family, peer group, and school. The focus on relationships provides a window into the complex and dynamic mechanisms that shape the development of aggression.
