Prisoners of their own image, kids need anger management

The case of a 16-year-old boy attacking his classmate with a paper cutter may be alarming but is certainly not the lone expression of aggression at school.

The case of a 16-year-old boy attacking his classmate with a paper cutter may be alarming but is certainly not the lone expression of aggression at school.

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Over five cases of students acting in an unusually aggressive manner have been reported this year.

Image consciousness, high stress levels, low tolerance and a sense of entitlement, are some of the reasons that experts believe are behind this trend.

"For youngsters maintenance of image that they project on the social networking sites is a huge issue. Children have been losing tolerance for jokes and pranks," said Ishnita Keskar, a psychologist who works with school children.

"Adolescence in any case is an age where aggression levels are high because of hormonal changes. The media and the way it glorifies violence does not help youngsters at all. Case in point is a recent movie, Ishaqzaade, which shows the lead pair as foul-mouthed and trigger happy. What do youngsters take away from this?" she adds.

Identity and space, too, are factors that are contributing to violence in a significant manner, experts say.

"Students these days are emotional about their rights and space without thinking about accountability and responsibility. This trend is fallout of

consumerist tendencies," said Ameeta Wattal, vice chairperson, National Progressive School Conference. The tendency among parents to condone mistakes and overlooking corrective measures has also contributed in children justifying their wrongs.