Identifying and Managing Aggressive Student Behaviors, Attitudes and Emotions

1. Identifying and Managing Aggressive Student Behaviors, Attitudes and Emotions Brian Van Brunt, Ed.D. Director of Counseling Western Kentucky University brian.vanbrunt@wku.edu www.aggressionmanagement.com

2. Case Study “Kendall” • Kendall has trouble staying focused in the classroom. He often is interrupting lectures by talking to friends in the back of the classroom. • Kendall has been diagnosed with ADHD and is attending college partially because his parents said “you can go to college or you can get a job.” He struggles with anger, frustration and lack of focus. • He has headphones on during an exam and the professor asks him to take them off…he laughs and looks back down.

3. Case Study “Sara” • Sara’s boyfriend recently broke up with her after learning that she had been cheating on him. She is very focused in class and very detail orientated on her assignments. • Another student tells her to “shut up” under her breath at the start of class and Sara has had enough. She turns and shouts “you shut up!” and throws a water bottle at the other student. • The professor then asks her to leave the classroom and she refuses and says “I didn’t do anything. It was this bitch…”

4. What Keeps us From Addressing These Behaviors? • Hopes that they will go away… • Fear or worry that nothing will happen if you report • Fear or worry that reporting it will make you look bad • Concern that we will be victims of retaliation • Being seen as a “rat” or “intolerant” or “unkind” • Don’t want to be responsible for pushing someone “over the edge.” • Not sure what to do

5. This training is designed to teach the basics of Aggression Management. How to Recognize Aggression The Un-Magnificent Seven How to Manage Aggression

6. How to Recognize Aggression Distinguish between assertive and aggressive behavior

7. Aggressive behavior occurs frequently in the classroom. Student-to-student arguments Direct or indirect threatening emails Drunk or substance abusing students Psychological crisis Dating relationship arguments that spill into classroom Vandalism and robbery Threats concerning papers, grades or attendance How to Recognize Aggression

8. How to Recognize Aggression • Address behavior, not targeting mentally ill. • We are concerned with aggression, threats, intimidation, hoarding of weapons, frustration, anger & isolation that leads to violence. • Mentally ill are more likely to be victims of violence, not perpetrators. • (Choe, Tepin, Abrams; 2008).

9. How to Recognize Aggression • Following the tragedy of Virginia Tech and the NIU school shootings, we’ve learned that aggressive individuals engage in either: • Primal Aggression • Cognitive Aggression

10. How to Recognize Aggression • Primal Aggression • Instinctual fight or flight response • Fueled by adrenaline • Aggressors who lose control and attack

11. Body Language of a Primal Attacker: Clustering Head back Red-face to white-face Target glancing Bulging arm & neck veins Lips quivering/teeth bared Shifting shoulders Hands clenched/pumping Watch palms for weapons Feet shifting/kicking

12. How to Recognize Aggression Cognitive Aggression • Conscious or non-conscious response • Fueled by intent (hostile/malicious intent) • Victimizer, predator (criminal) or terrorist (murder/suicide), School shooters

13. On August 5, 2009 George Sodini turned out the lights on a dance-aerobics class, and opened fire with three guns, firing 36 bullets. • He killed 3 women and wounded 9 others before committing suicide.

14. He left a blog from Nov. 5, 2008 to Aug. 3, 2009. • “they look so beautiful as to not be human, very edible" • "I dress good, am clean-shaven, bathe, touch of cologne - yet 30 million women rejected me - over an 18 or 25-year period" • "I can do this. Leaving work today, I felt like a zombie - just going thru the motions."

15. On December 8, 2009 Jason Hamilton fired two rounds at the professor in his math classroom at the Woodbridge campus of Northern Virginia Community College. • He had a .30-06 bolt action rifle purchased the day before at a Dick's Sporting Goods store. • The rifle jammed after two shots. He was arrested in the hall. Police report he was upset about grades before the shooting. • Thirty-six of 45 campus security cameras were not working at the time of the shooting , did not have floor plans or master keys to the building

16. On February 12th , 2010 Amy Bishop shot and killed three and severely wounded three others during a faculty meeting. • She taught her regularly scheduled biology class and then attended a faculty meeting. Another professor reports she sat quietly listening for 40 minutes before opening fire. • There is speculation that this was related to her not getting tenure at the university or related to a business project.

17. Anders Breivik in Norway… • Planned his attack over 10 years • Painstakingly detailed his acquisitions of weapons, bomb making materials • Developed a exercise, nutrition and drug enhancement program • Conducted test runs • Practiced on simulation games • Buried weapons and ammo • Protected plan from friends • Investment in daily rituals

18. How to Recognize Aggression

19. How to Recognize Aggression • With both Cognitive and Primal Aggressors, we must be aware of how they move through the aggression continuum. • The Aggression Continuum is made up of the: • Crisis Phase • Escalation Phase • Trigger Phase

20. How to Recognize Aggression • Trigger Phase (Heart Rate 60-80) • Calm, normal breathing • An activating event occurs • Stress and anxiety begin • Circumstances are dynamic but everyone is coping • Offers a baseline • Begins escalating…

21. How to Recognize Aggression • Escalation Phase (Heart Rate 115-145) • As anxiety mounts… • Quality of judgment diminishes • Swearing, arguing with others • Fewer arm and hand gestures • Diminished creativity in thought • Reduced thoughtful consideration

22. Faculty will also go through these changes (escalation phase) when responding to a crisis. Cycle breathing can reduce physical, emotional & cognitive experiences during escalation. This breathing can helps you stay in control of decision making & deescalate the crisis.

23. Breathe in slowly to the count of 1…2…3…4… Hold your breath to the count of 1…2… Breath out slowly to the count of 1…2…3…4… Hold your breathe to the count of 1…2…

24. How to Recognize Aggression • Crisis Phase (Heart Rate 145-175) • Hardens point of view • Issues ultimatum • Growling, baring teeth • Direct, prolonged eye contact • Moving in and out of your personal space • Eyes targeting body parts to strike

25. How to Recognize Aggression • Crisis Phase (Heart Rate Above 175) • Loss of verbal control • Loss of judgment • Begins physical attack

26. Nine Levels of Aggression Lose/Lose Attack Win/Lose Attack Limited Destructive Blows Threat Strategies Escalation Phase Crisis Phase Forced Loss of Face Image Destruction Actions vs. Words Harmful Debate Hardening Trigger Phase 26

27. The Un-Magnificent Seven • Not all behavior you encounter will be overt aggression. • Most will be Cognitive (intent-driven) Aggression. • Many students develop frustrating behavior patterns that create chaos and disrupt others. • We will now discuss the un-magnificent seven common patterns of frustrating passive aggressive behavior.

28. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Sherman Tank • Enjoys confrontation & always need to prove themselves right • Argues about rules in your class & syllabus • Pushes past weaker personalities • Seeks to dominate • Challenges your authority

29. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Sniper • Criticizes you behind your back • Gossips and creates chaos when you’re not around • Blends in to surroundings when threatened or challenged, uses jokes or sarcasm to cover motives

30. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Exploder • Has wide mood swings. Is a “loud mouth” and makes insulting and cutting remarks • Wants everyone silent who disagrees with them and is happiest when others are passive

31. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Complainer • Whines and complains about their situation • Never seems happy or optimistic about improvement, wears down and drains others • Feels unappreciated and powerless

32. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Negativist • Is never happy and desires others to be just as gloomy • Rarely sees the bright side • Says “no” to everything • Bums others out…(man)

33. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Clam • Disengaged, silent and unresponsive • May be upset or frustrated, but never communicates it

34. Keep “the clam” on the top of your list. Quiet, growing frustration could be precursor to explosion or the strategic plotting seen in many school shootings. Engage the student, help them express their frustrations & become connected to community.

35. The Un-Magnificent Seven • The Bulldozer • Overwhelms others with facts & figures • Only values their own opinion and has little regard for knowledge or viewpoints of others

36. How to Manage Aggression • Now we have a basic understanding of • Cognitive and Primal Aggression • The Aggression Continuum (Trigger, Escalation and Crisis) • Passive Aggression (The Un-Magnificent Seven) • How to manage aggressive behavior you may encounter

37. How to Manage Aggression • Students respond less to what we say, and more to the way and manner in which we say it. • When communicating emotionally, people attend to: • Words 7% • Tone/Inflection 38% • Body Language 55% (Albert Mehrabian (1971 UCLA Study) 93%!!!

38. How to Manage Aggression • We need to have the proper mindset prior to attempting to manage any aggressive behavior. • It is not the words we say, but the way we say them. • Requires us to control our own emotions and body language. • Cycle Breathing can help us achieve this state.

39. How to Manage Aggression • Cycle Breathing helps us • gain control over our breathing • keep our heart rate down • better respond to an aggressive situation • Requires practice to internalize process of lowering heart rate and controlling breathing.

40. How to Manage Aggression • In addition to cycle breathing; we must be prepared. • Be aware of when a person is in a Trigger, Escalation or Crisis Phase. • Understand what to look for in Cognitive and Primal Aggressors. • Counseling staff should have a plan and training to address the situation before it occurs.

41. How to Manage Aggression • Build trust with aggressor – key to de-escalating aggression. • Be aware of differences butfocus on similarities. • Develop commonalties with students to persuade them toward more healthy choices (non-aggressive).

42. How to Manage Aggression • Find commonalities • We remember feeling overwhelmed by classes • We know it is hard to live in close quarters with others • We’ve been frustrated over rules & felt trapped • We may be sad when away from family/friends • We don’t like being singled out & embarrassed

43. How to Manage Aggression • Display a quiet confidence • Convey a willingness to help • Offer acceptance, respect and validation • Use enthusiasm and keen interest • Ask “I there anything I can say or do to gain your cooperation? . . . . I'd sure like to think there is.”

44. How to Manage Aggression • Be aware of perception differences. A student in an escalation or crisis phase will see things differently than someone not in these stages.

46. QUACK!!!

48. How to Manage Aggression • We must acknowledge the difference between how we currently see things and how the aggressive person is. • Efforts are then made to persuade the aggressor toward healthier choices.

49. How to Manage Aggression • Aggression Management’s Universal Approach • Get the student away from the crowd. • Begin your interaction with a positive statement, not a negative one (constructive, not punitive) • Explain the documented issues in a neutral and reflective way (without sarcasm).

50. How to Manage Aggression • Aggression Management’s Universal Approach • Explain that their present behavior is not in their best interest. • Ask how we can work together to solve this problem. Consider the miracle question “What outcome would you like to see?”