Psychologist Reveals Factors Triggering Violent and Aggressive Behaviour

Psychologist Samanta Clara Elsube, a member of the Indonesian Psychological Association (HIMPSI), stated that family background, parenting patterns, childhood experiences, and the social environment are factors that can trigger the emergence of violent behaviour in an individual.

Samanta noted that in psychology, the term ‘cycle of violence’ is recognised. This cycle can form when an individual has been accustomed to witnessing or experiencing violence as part of daily life since childhood.

According to her, children raised with harsh parenting may perceive actions such as hitting, verbal abuse, or confinement as forms of discipline or acceptable methods to control others. “If from a young age a child is raised in an environment that considers hitting, insults, and confinement as ways to resolve problems or forms of discipline, their brain will record that violence is a natural way to act when angry or when wanting to control others,” Samanta said when contacted by ANTARA on Wednesday (24/6).

Samanta explained that harsh parenting can shape a child’s perspective on power dynamics, discipline, and conflict resolution. When violence is understood as something normal, children run the risk of carrying this pattern into adulthood. In this context, violence is not limited to physical acts but can also take the form of insults, threats, confinement, or other actions aimed at suppressing and controlling others.

Repeated experiences can make it difficult for a person to distinguish between discipline, control, and violence. Therefore, violent parenting can be a significant factor in the formation of aggressive behaviour.

In addition to parenting, poor childhood experiences can also affect an individual’s emotional development into adulthood. Children who experience or witness domestic violence are at risk of experiencing emotional developmental disorders if they do not receive adequate treatment.

“When they reach adulthood, some individuals who do not receive trauma recovery will change their roles, moving from being victims to perpetrators so that they no longer feel weak,” said Samanta.

Nevertheless, Samanta emphasised that bad childhood experiences do not automatically turn someone into a perpetrator of violence. Many individuals who have experienced difficult childhoods are still able to break the cycle of violence.

According to her, social support, education, and professional assistance can help individuals understand trauma, manage emotions, and build healthier relationship patterns.

Another factor playing a role in the formation of an individual’s behaviour is the social environment. An environment that permits aggressive behaviour, lacks emotional education, or normalises violence can strengthen a person’s tendency to act aggressively.

“A toxic social environment, a lack of emotional education, or even the tolerance of aggressive behaviour can nurture the potential for violence within an individual,” said Samanta.

Therefore, the prevention of violence cannot be achieved at the individual level alone. Families, schools, communities, and social environments also need to build a culture that does not tolerate aggressive acts or violence.

Samanta emphasised the importance of social support and professional help to assist individuals in breaking the chain of violence. Trauma recovery, emotional education, and a safe environment can serve as protective factors so that bad experiences do not develop into behaviour that harms others.

Cases of violence in relationships have come back into focus after a 29-year-old woman from Bandung Regency was reported to be a victim of confinement and abuse for three years. The woman, who had lost contact with her family since 2023, was found in critical condition in a hospital. She is alleged to have been held captive and abused by her partner for three years.

To her father, the victim admitted to experiencing extremely cruel abuse. During that period, the perpetrator reportedly moved the victim from one boarding house to another in the Cileunyi area, Bandung Regency, to avoid suspicion from local residents.

This event demonstrates the importance of community vigilance regarding signs of violence, especially when someone appears isolated, is difficult for family to contact, or is in a relationship characterised by control and threats.

According to Samanta, violence can be triggered by various interrelated factors. However, the cycle can still be broken through understanding, support, education, and appropriate intervention.