Research Article - (2014) Volume 4, Issue 1
Department of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Arak Branch, Iran
The present research focuses on the impact of teaching responsibility on the basis of reality therapy approach on reduction the aggressive behaviors in the teenagers between 12 to 15 years old. This is a research of semi experimental kind using the experimental and control groups. The sampling society includes the whole female students of Arak guidance schools. In this research 120 students in the guidance school were tested by the AGQ aggression questionnaire and cluster Random sampling method. According to the pre-test grades, 20 students who have got the upper marks were placed in the experimental group and the other 20 were placed in the control group among the other 100 by random. Responsibility was taught on the basis of reality therapy in 8 sessions of 80 minutes length. The functionality and effect of these interferences were assessed and to omit the effect of pre-test the statistic index of covariance analyzes was used. The results showed that with the significance of 0/01 there is a meaningful difference between the experimental and the control group. In other words teaching responsibility taking can reduce the aggression (anger, invasion and hatred) effectively.
aggression, responsibility, reality therapy
Nowadays, violence and aggression are of the most important and great problems and crises of the world in different levels and aspects; the basic reason of many wars and even anomalies lies under these titles. Bonica, yehova, Arnold, Fisher and Zeljo (2003) stated that aggression is one the most important issues of the teenagers. Aggression is any kind of behavior aiming to hurt and injure another alive being who is trying to avoid this harm (Baron and Richardson, 1994). During the whole process of human growth from childhood to elderly, the most aggressive behaviors are appeared in teenage hood (Walker and Roberts, 2001). Many teachers and trainers in the schools believe that the aggressive behaviors and reactions of students in a crowd has increased a lot and this problem needs the cooperation of all the teachers, parents and the society members. We should mention that students in all the grades and levels may show some kind of conflicting behaviors such as lack of self-control, physical and verbal aggression, violation, and inattention (Smith, Lochman and Daunic, 2005). Teenage hood, under the appearance of some special issues, is sometimes blended with a kind of bewilderment, lack of self-esteem, inferiority and negative self- concept which results in anger and aggression. All these matters reduce the natural activities and social interactions (Ramazani and Disfani, 2001).
The main reason of researchers attention on the aggressive behaviors is its unpleasant effect on the inter relationship with people and the negative impact on the person internal and external moods. If the person doesn't control the aggressive behavior, two negative results will be obtained; not only social interactional and crime problems with unrespect to others right occurs, but also it can cause physical problems such as peptic ulcer, migraine and depression (Eliss, 1998; reported from Zangane, 2009).
As Maleki reported from Farrington (2011) when teenagers behave aggressively in their early ages, they tend to have aggressive behavior more when they get matured and the reaction to cure this behavior decreases. Lack of control on aggression causes social, job, educational, health and psychological problems and predicts alcohol and drug addiction, smoking, little incompatibility, academic failure, depression, misdemeanor and other disorders in teenagers, Maleki adds. By helping students to learn how to control their anger, we can stop the hard aggression (O' Lenic and Arman, 2005).
Nowadays, with the complication of social and cultural problems and the improvement of technology, schools play an important and critical role in forming students' character. One of the important training issues having an important role in people behavior and spirit is responsibility. A responsible person is a one that with his/her effective and efficient behavior, the possibility of his/her negative behaviors is reduced (Kordloo, 1387). Existentialists believe that in responsibility, choices belong to the person and person must have honesty with freedom. In the theory of Gestalt therapy responsibility means depending on your ability when choosing (Sharf, 1381).
Khodabakhshi and Abedi (2009) report that Hawton (1989) states a responsible one can control his negative emotions such as anger, so he can control himself, all these matters makes him a qualified person. Teaching responsibility to children and teenagers make them accept their responsibility in their feelings, cognition and behavior. They also accept that they themselves are responsible for health, success, relationship with others and the environment (Bahrami, Malejian and Abedi, 2004). Students understand the importance of self-control and independence, so their responsibility for learning and changing the negative beliefs increases (Mccombs and Pope, translation Ebrahim Ghavami, 1384).
Glasser believes that teenagers and young people themselves choose the aggressive and delinquent behaviors; because they think these kinds of behaviors help they achieve their goals. In fact they have not learned to have responsible behavior (Sahebi, 2010). Mastari Farahani (2011) in his research showed that teaching responsibility to a teenage boy by using Glasser method has a big effect on reducing his aggression. Sahebi states the other name for Glasser choice theory is inviting to responsibility; responsibility is a personal, family and social element, responsibility for our needs, responsibility for family needs and responsibility for other people in the society who are the same as us and have our rights and should satisfy their needs, he adds (Sahebi, 2010).
Reality therapy is a kind of psychotherapy; in this method the therapist tries to help the person solve his problems according to the concepts of reality, responsibility and right and wrong affairs in his life (Habibzade, 2005). Reality therapy aims to grow the responsibility and creating a successful identity for person. The person should know his wrong behavior, recognize it and pay his total attention to it and give no excuse for denying his responsibility. In this approach the person is encouraged to define his long time and short time purposes clearly and assess the ways to approach them, then he should choose the most effective methods among them and experience more positive feelings towards himself (Shafiabadi, 2007).
Motamedi and Ebadi research results convey unreasonable beliefs have a positive relationship with aggression, but a negative relationship with the educational operation. Haghayegh and Arizi (2009) concluded that aggression causes many dangers in driving. Hariri (2007) concluded there is a big and meaningful difference between the responsibility of teenagers with misdemeanor behavior and the responsibility of the normal teenagers.
Soheyli (2008) stated there is a meaningful relationship between responsibility and self-actualization. In other words the more people are responsible the more they move toward self-actualization. Khodabakhshi and Abedi (2009) in their research about the methods of increasing responsibility showed the effective effect of teaching responsibility by reality therapy in girls and boys in all three kind of assessment (parent, teacher and self- assessment). Reshno (2010) stated that teaching responsibility on the basis of reality therapy has caused the reduction of identity crisis in the female students of middle school in Shoosh. In defining these results, he has stated that these female students have attended in the responsibility sessions eagerly and have been able to increase their abilities dramatically.
Mahdavi et al (2010) pointed teaching responsibility with Glasser method has a great effect on increasing the general, social, family and educational self-esteem of male students in middle schools.
Olink and Arman in their research (2005) showed teenagers learning effective and suitable management of their anger can reduce their paradoxical behaviors dramatically, so their consciousness increases. These students grow a healthy self- concept in themselves and their ability to make proper and positive relationship increases.
Cobb, Sample, Alwell and Johns (2006) in assessing and studying the relationship between cognitive- behavioral intervention and physical or body aggression of teenagers having one of the disorders, hyperactivity or inability in reading, revised 16 studies that have been done on 791 teenagers. Results confirmed the effective effect of cognitive- behavioral interventions on reducing the aggression among them.
Kim (2009) as Reshno reported (2010) did a research on schizophrenia patients (15 in experimental group and 15 in control group) in one of the mental hospitals of South Korea; he concluded that reality therapy has caused positive changes in internal control, self-esteem and confronting with stress.
Amestrong et al (2005) used the group consulting with reality therapy approach for turbulent students of middle school; the results conveyed this method causes a big increase around 95 % in responsibility, better education and reducing identity crisis.
Now with these explanation about aggression and responsibility, we tend to see if teaching responsibility with reality therapy in middle school turbulent students can reduce the aggression of female students or not?
Research hypothesizes
Research hypothesizes are:
1- Teaching responsibility based on reality therapy is effective in reducing aggression.
2- Teaching responsibility based on reality therapy is effective for reducing anger.
3- Teaching responsibility based on reality therapy reduces the tendency of offending others (invasion) effectively.
4- Teaching responsibility based on reality therapy is effective in reducing hatred.
This research is semi experimental and is done with pre-test and post-test with experimental and control group. Statistical population in this research is the all-female students of middle schools in Arak in the year 91-92. For defining the samples, we used the cluster random sampling method. To achieve this goal we divided all the middle schools of Arak in to two groups and then we chose on of them randomly; two schools of the selected group were selected in random as the experimental group and the control group. Each school had two grades and the second grade was chosen by random. The questionnaire was given to 120 students. 20 ones who got the upper marks were sent to the experimental group and 20 students of the remained 100 students were placed in the control group by random.
Instruments
The AGQ questionnaire of aggression was used in this research to measure the aggression of statistical population. The questionnaire has been standardized by Najjarian et al (1996) for children and by Allahyari for teenage hood. Najjarian has confirmed the credibility of this questionnaire in 1996 for 85 %. The AGQ questionnaire has 30 questions. Among these 30 questions, first 14 questions measures the anger, the second 8 questions focuses on invasion and insult and the last 8 questions analyses the hatred and obstinacy. Each question has the choices of “never”, “sometimes”, and “always” and they have the validity of 0, 1, 2, and 3 in order. 18th question of questionnaire has a negative meaning, so it is graded upside down. Total number of the questionnaire is counted by adding the grades of questions from 0 to 90. The more the person gets, the more he is aggressive. People were informed about the purposes of the research, before answering the questions. To preserve the identity of the participants, the questionnaires were coded; so the data were represented to others just by their codes. If during completing the questionnaire some questions were raised, the researcher explained them. In this questionnaire, if the person gets more than 45, he is an aggressive person.
Interference Method
Responsibility was thought in 8 sessions, each 80 minutes, during two months. The sessions were held a session every week by using Glasser method for the experimental group (first session: an intimate introduction and greeting with a relationship based on confidence between the group members and the leader, Second session: purpose of this session was finding a way to the member's pleasant picture from the world, assessing members' attitude toward themselves and knowing their basic needs beside increasing their conscious behavior. Third session: concentrating on the daily activities of the references with their choices and their future, explaining and defining the meaning of responsibility. Forth session: Analyzing the idea of the members about their aggression and creating a suitable background to reduce it. Fifth session: Developing this idea in the group that they are responsible for their aggression. Sixth session: Encouraging the members to have a good relationship with their family members and peers. Seventh session: Emphasizing on the present time and not accepting any excuse and reason. Eighth session: Summary and reviewing last sessions). The control group didn't have any program for cure, and just had the pre- test and the post- test. In the sessions first we had a summary of last session. Then the homework's were assessed, and then the researcher taught the new subject and gave a new homework to the students. After the interference teaching sessions, post-tests were given to groups, the experimental and the control groups.
Descriptive findings
Descriptive findings of the present research included some statistical indexes such as standard deviation and the average. All of the variables are shown in table 1.
Table 1- The descriptive statistical indexes of the research variables in the experimental and the control group n=20
As the first table shows the central indexes in the pre-test marks of the research variables are nearly the same and it states that data distribution has been normal.
Findings of the research hypothesis
first hypothesis:
Table 2- The summary of the one way covariance for the interference effects on aggression with controlling the aggression variable in pre-test
Findings of the independent one-way covariance shows that by deleting the effect of aggression marks in pre-test as a variable, the main effect of cure (Teaching) on the post-test aggression marks is meaningful. So the first hypothesis is confirmed and has validity. Itâ factor represent that the effect of cure explains 16 percent of the aggression variance.
Second hypothesis:
Table3- A summary analyze of the independent one-way covariance for the effects of interferences on anger by controlling the anger variable in pre-test
Findings of the independent one-way covariance shows that by deleting the effect of anger marks in pre-test as a variable, the main effect of cure (Teaching) on the post-test anger marks is meaningful. So the second hypothesis is confirmed and has validity. Itâ factor represent that the effect of cure explains 13 percent of the anger variance.
Third hypothesis:
Table4- A summary analyze of the independent one-way covariance for the effects of interferences on invasion by controlling the invasion variable in pre-test
Findings of the independent one-way covariance shows that by deleting the effect of invasion marks in pre-test as a variable, the main effect of cure (Teaching) on the post-test invasion marks is meaningful. So the third hypothesis is confirmed and has validity. Itâ factor represent that the effect of cure explains 30 percent of the invasion variance.
Forth hypothesis:
Table5- A summary analyze of the independent one-way covariance for the effects of interferences on hatred by controlling the hatred variable in pre-test
The main effect of cure on hatred marks of post-test is meaningful (sig= 0/01). Itâ factor represent that the effect of cure explains 14 percent of the hatred variance.
As table 6 illustrates, the average of all the variables (aggression, anger, invasion and hatred) in the experimental group is less than the control group; this fact confirms the meaningful effect of cure in reducing aggression and its components, anger, invasion, obstinacy and hatred.
Table6- The adjusted average for the research variables
Purpose of the present research is assessing the effect of teaching responsibility (by Glasser method) on reducing aggression in female students. Findings of the research show the effectiveness of teaching responsibility on reducing aggression and it confirms all the research hypothesizes.
Anger is a part of the human natural character and it is obvious that every person experiences it in himself, but its outbreak and indication has different levels in different people. Responsibility and recognizing the personal values has an important role in preventing or reducing the social disorders and mental and personality problems. So we can assert that according to the importance and value of teaching responsibility with preventing purposes and improving mental health, lack of this ability causes a notable validity in the person. Teaching these abilities gives the children and teenagers the feeling of sufficiency, ability of being effective, conquest over problems or compatibility in failure and increasing self-esteem, planning ability and targeted behavior or changing the behavior in failure according to the problem. Khodabakhshi and Abedi (2009) stated from Hawton (1989) that a responsible person can control his negative feeling such as anger, he can control himself by social performance and passion control; all these gives more efficiency to the person.
In explaining the findings we can convey that students who had some sessions on teaching responsibility by Glasser method could increase and improve their abilities dramatically; therefore the experimental group had a significance difference with control group in reducing the aggression. We can claim that all these were the effect of teaching and its positive and meaningful effects.
In Glassser teaching responsibility program, all different aspects of person's personal, social and family life is considered. Since the program is held like workshops and practically and the participants have an active presence, affluence of the program increases its effectiveness.
Teaching responsibility programs focuses on the cognitive- conduct skills and developing relationship with others, too. Responsibility equips us to encounter with the problems. It causes personality resistance, attitude increase toward life, encouraging skills in controlling life and making good relationship with environment and others.
Mastari Farahani (2011) in his research showed that teaching responsibility to a teenage boy by using Glasser method has a big effect on reducing his aggression. Hariri (2007) concluded there is a big and meaningful difference between the responsibility of teenagers with misdemeanor behavior and the normal ones. Khodabakhshi and Abedi (2009) in their research about the methods of increasing responsibility showed the effective impact of teaching responsibility by reality therapy in girls and boys in all three kind of assessment (parent, teacher and selfassessment). Reshno (2010) stated that teaching responsibility on the basis of reality therapy has caused the reduction of identity crisis in the female students of middle school in Shoosh. In defining theses result he has stated that these female students have used these responsibility sessions eagerly and have been able to increase their abilities dramatically. Mahdavi et al (2010) pointed teaching responsibility with Glasser method has a great effect on increasing the general, social, family and educational self-esteem of male students in middle schools. Olink and Arman in their research (2005) showed teenagers learning effective and suitable management of their anger can reduce their paradoxical behaviors dramatically and their consciousness increases. These students grow a healthy self- concept in themselves and their ability to make proper and positive relationship increases. Kim (2009) as Reshno reported (2010) did a research on schizophrenia patients (15 in experimental group and 15 in control group) in one of the mental hospitals of South Korea; he concluded that reality therapy has caused positive changes in internal control, self-esteem and confronting with stress. Amestrong et al (2005) used the group consulting with reality therapy approach for turbulent students of middle school; the results conveyed this method causes a big increase around 95 % in responsibility, better education and reducing identity crisis.
1-Since responsibility is one the basic and effective pillars of the social relationship and affects our lives directly, teaching responsibility from childhood and beside some skills such as walking and talking is helpful and beneficial and its teaching seems necessary.
2-Meaning and concepts of reality therapy as one of the most applicable theories of psychotherapy and consult in schools should be taught to the officials, so they can take some steps to improve the psychological health of the students and their education; As reported from William Glasser to make failure less schools.
3-Family as a first training model for children should coordinate with school officials to hold the teaching and consulting responsibility workshops.
4-The statistical sampling population of the present research is 40 people. It is suggested to do the same research by a bigger sampling population.
