Mindfulness Meditation and Aggression Emotion Regulation in Adolescents Justine Mariscal
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ggression is an innate psychological response to frustration mediated by an individual’s environment in the process of growing up (Anderson & Bushman, 2002). Aggression is most likely during adolescence, which is marked by rapid developmental changes and intensely felt stressors (e.g., academic and social pressure at school), and underdeveloped self-control (Bluth et al., 2015; Steinberg, 2014; Tao et al., 2021). Most commonly defined as behavior intended to harm oneself or others, aggression can take many forms (Tao et al., 2021). Direct aggression refers to easily identified aggressive behaviors, such as physical aggression (e.g., hitting, pushing, or kicking others) and verbal aggression (e.g., namecalling, insults, or put-downs). Indirect aggression is described as more covert behavior targeted at damaging social relations, such as relational or social aggression such as rejection, gossiping, and spreading rumors (Tao et al., 2021). Both forms of aggression have been shown to harm victims and perpetrators alike (Archer & Coyne, 2005). Exhibiting direct aggression is associated with a deviant lifestyle and the high risk of delinquent behavior (Jennings et al., 2012; Nagin & Tremblay, 1999). Indirect aggression harms psychological well-being by causing interpersonal stress and internalizing symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and social withdrawal (Björkqvist, 1994; Card et al., 2008). Emotion Regulation in Adolescence Emotion regulation is described as the ability to manage emotions; it involves strategies to manage distress to meet demands or achieve goals (e.g., those involved in learning) and is increasingly viewed by contemporary researchers as a foundation for well-being, academic achievement, and positive adjustment throughout life (Campos et al., 2004; Eisenberg et al., 2010). In accordance with behavioral theory, aggression is a result of the attempt to regulate or express difficult emotions (Tao et al., 2021). Students who exhibit aggressive behavior have shown a deficiency in emotional self-control (Franco et al., 2016). Adolescent aggression has been associated with the risk factor
of impulsivity (Orue et al., 2016), maladaptive or risky behaviors, (e.g., drug use and/or sexual promiscuity) (Paydary et al., 2016), mental disorders (e.g., depression and/anxiety) and poor academic results (Fix & Fix, 2013; Nelson et al., 2015). Mindfulness Meditation Originating from Eastern contemplative traditions, (i.e., Buddhist philosophy) (Oberle et. al., 2012; Zhang & Zhang, 2021), mindfulness is described as the awareness and nonjudgmental acceptance by a clear, calm mind of one’s moment-to-moment experience, without either pursuing the experience or pushing it away (Singh et. al., 2007). Mindfulness meditation has become increasingly popular in Western psychology as a new way to reduce stress and promote mental well-being in children and adults (Oberle et al., 2012). Numerous studies show that mindfulness-based interventions can produce beneficial outcomes in emotion regulation, including decreased anxiety (Amutio et al., 2015), depression (Condon et al., 2013), and anger expression reduction (Fix & Fix, 2013; Gouda et al., 2016; Zenner et al., 2014). Mindfulness training has also been shown to improve engagement, attention, self-control, respect for others, and so on in the classrooms of lower-income minority elementary school students, some with effects lasting up to seven weeks post-intervention (Black & Fernando, 2014). Mindfulness and Aggression in Adolescents Recent research suggests mindfulness can reduce aggression in children and adolescents. The reductions in aggression strengthened adolescents’ ability to control their emotions when faced with internal and external triggers (Tao et al., 2021; Zhang & Zhang 2021). Research on mindfulness interventions demonstrate significant findings in public high school students (Franco et al., 2016; Zare et al., 2016; Zhang & Zhang, 2021), preschool and elementary students (Moreno-Gomez & Cejudo, 2019; Parker et al., 2014; Suárez-García et al., 2020; Yoo et al., 2016), students with special needs (Malboeuf-Hurtubise et al., 2017), and participants from a juvenile correction and rehabilitation center (Milani et al., 2013). However, more research needs
