ABSTRACT
In the behavior management of children and adolescents, the most frequently asked question by parents and practitioners is “What are the causes of oppositional, defiant, and aggressive behavior?”
1. Failure to reward or acknowledge compliant and positive behavior: Without recognition, praise, and reinforcement (reward) for cooperative and compliant behaviors, there is little reason for some youngsters to display positive acts or to comply with expectations. Many youth in treatment have experienced their parent’s angry response to inappropriate acts. This punishment has reinforced their oppositional, defiant, and aggressive behaviors, and therefore becomes the way in which these youth get attention, approval, and their sense of self (Larsen & Dehle, 2007).
