Doctor
of psychological Sciences, doctor of legal Sciences, Professor
Yu.A.Klejberg
Moscow
state regional University
DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR
The
experience of the development of philosophy, sociology, biology, psychology,
neuropsychology and psychophysiology in XIX-XX centuries led to the
accumulation of evidence to argue the question is not about the inborn and
socio-historical nature of destructive behavior of people, formed in the
process of deviation socialization of
personality in the conditions of historically controversial society.[1]
Destructive
behavior (lat. destruction - the destruction) - destructive behavior.
Disruptiveness is inevitably present in each individual, but is detectable, as
a rule, in the critical periods of his life. First of all, this applies to
adolescents, age peculiarities of the psyche which, together with the problem
of socialization and lack of attention from the adults, lead to destructive
changes of personality.
Under
the destructive personality changes should be understood pathological process
of destruction of the structure of the personality or its separate elements.
The main forms of destructive changes in the person are: pathological deformity
personal needs and motivation, destructive changes of character and
temperament, violation of volitional regulation of behavior, formation of
inadequate self-esteem and violation of interpersonal relations.
To
destructive phenomena of conduct directed outward, include:
-
the destruction of the other person (murder), the destruction of his
personality;
-
destruction of the society or specific social relations (a terrorist attack,
war);
-
destruction of inanimate objects, architectural monuments and other works of art
(vandalism);
-
destruction of the natural environment (ecocide, ecological terrorism).
To
auto-destructive include:
-
suicide - intentional physical destruction of the man himself and the
self-destruction of the personality;
-
substance abuse (alcohol, drug abuse, drug dependence);
-
pathological non-chemical dependency: Internet addiction, gambling
(pathological gambling), and others, resulting in destructive changes of
personality.[2]
When
analyzing destructive behavior, consider not only the motive, but the usual way
of behaving. Not less interesting point of view, consists in the fact that
aggressiveness, as a token of destructive behavior becomes traits, and, therefore, personality traits through social
learning. Media, computer games (so-called «shooting»), filled the life of a
modern teenager, full of scenes of violence, cruelty, humiliation, harassment
and killings. On this background the model of aggressive behavior is perceived
as a teenager for granted.[3]
The main characteristics of
destructive behavior and simultaneously criteria of the selection of his most
important varieties are the following objective factors (indicators): type
suspended norms; psychological goals of behavior and motivation; the results of
the conduct in question and the damage they caused; individually-style
characteristics of conduct. The important peculiarity of deviant behavior in
adolescence is its dialog group values.
There are different theories, revealing the mechanisms of the formation
individual propensity to destructive behavior. According to one of them this
trend is formed under the influence of destructive subculture through
assimilation of certain views, lifestyle and behavior. Another theory defines
destructive orientation as a reaction to the long-term deprivation. The third
hypothesis follows from the theory E.Erikson
and considers destructive group as a result of negative identities of
the participants. Finally, there is a point of view, according to which appeal
to terror, in particular, is connected with the earliest narcissistic injury.
In the latter case, rage and violence become an individual way of protection
from feeling helpless (see: Å.Zmanovskaya, 2005).
In his book «Flight from freedom» Erich Fromm (2007) reveals one of the
mechanisms of self-destructive behavior. It is aimed at the destruction of its
own alienation, on making the whole of the living to the dead and easy.
However, «the level of destructiveness in the individual proportional to the
degree, to which is limited by its expansiveness». «The more the aspiration to
life, the more life is implemented, the weaker the destructive tendencies; the
more the desire for life is suppressed, the stronger thirst for destruction.
Erich Fromm has identified «destructiveness as a result of unlived life»,
emphasizing its socio-psychological, not a biological origin.
In his other book «the Anatomy of human destructiveness» Erich Fromm
(1994) suggests that in modern society the relationships between people are
characterized by competition, exploitation, parasitism and hostility.
Within the analysis of the destructiveness of Erich Fromm singled out
two different types of aggression:
- benign aggression (or defensive), in his opinion, «it is phylogenetic
ally inherent impulse to attack or flee in a situation when there is a threat
of life, such an aggression is self-preservation and survival of the species;
- malignant aggression «is destructiveness and cruelty inherent only man
... they don't have phylogenetic program, does not serve to biological
adaptation and have no purpose.»
Malignant aggression, in turn, manifested in two main forms:
a) sadism, or a passionate desire for absolute power over another being;
b) necrophilia, or the passion to destroy life, devotion to everything
dead, still, mechanical.
Disruptiveness and cruelty, by Fromm’s, lie not in the instincts and
inclinations of man, and in his character. Erich Fromm calls it nature or
passions. He comes to a paradoxical conclusion - «destructiveness is not
typical animals, nor for primitive peoples, is it a consequence of cultural and
technological development of mankind».
There are several sources of destructive behavior in teenagers and
youth. I.Zimina (2012) highlights the following:
1). The subordination of the child will of the adult. Suppressing the
independence and initiative, an adult (parent, teacher) hinders the development
of the child's identity, his activity, which leads to conflicts. Deviant
behavior, psychology which is based, including the theory of destructiveness,
is the result of suppression and resistance of the individual during the hard
authoritarian style of education and training.
2). Implementation of the process of education only in troubled times
the life of a child. In this approach, adult shows active attention to the
child only when the problem has already occurred. But as soon as the problem is
less important for a parent or teacher loses interest in the child leaves him
in the zone of neglect, considering that so far so good, nothing to worry
about. So destructive behavior by the teenager becomes a means to draw
attention to his personality.
3). Monopolization of adolescent school. The teenager himself in a
position of obligation, he «must» serve the school. When a large workload
children and parents not feeling great employment, fatigue, physical and
nervous overload, excessive for not strong child's body and psyche. Protest
against monopolization is expressed as destructive behavior aimed at the
destruction set by the school rules: tardiness, truancy, rudeness, lies,
violations in the form of clothes, etc.
According to E.Fromm, signs of destructiveness how traits are manifested
in 10-15 % of the population. In his book «the Anatomy of human
destructiveness», he defines this as the desire to destruction, which is
manifested in people aggressive, experiencing the hatred to mankind. They were
criminals, rapists, arsonist’s wars. According to the author, the children
destructive behavior may be sublimated or transformed into a constructive
aggression aimed at the destruction of the old, unnecessary and build something
new, more perfect.
Cultural and technical progress, along with its positive tendencies, on
the one hand, the absolute necessity of social development, on the other hand,
is contradictory in its socio-psychological fact, vulnerable, and therefore
pose a largely destructive tendencies. And what in this process more positivity
or destructive - the question is not rhetorical, he requires constant
reflection, evaluation and its scientific and practical support to resolve
specific deficiencies or to maintain a «dynamic equilibrium» in the social
system.
The positive development of any system (personal, social, biological) -
this norm, the ideal. And this development has its vector of development,
aiming at positive
self-actualization personality
and involves the creation of appropriate and necessary conditions for such
self-actualization. However, as historical experience shows, and modern life,
this vector of development can change its direction towards destabilization,
imbalance systems, which will surely lead to crises, conflicts, wars,
destruction different kinds and deviant behavior. Defeats the purpose of
creation, creativity, innovation, creates a kind of «psychological funnel»,
which is transforming, «draws» a system of values and norms, needs, changing
the principles and views, invalidation of concepts such as human life, good
conscience and honor, is created in the society vacuum, emptiness and
hopelessness, etc. And as a result, come the collapse of the system and total
degradation of the people. Replaced with the cruelty, violence, blood, the cult
of power, ignorance, crime, etc.
Destructiveness as time and arises as a result of a contradiction
between social conditions and the existential needs of the people. The passion
for destruction and sadism are one of the ways to compensate frustrations
existential needs.
Destructive behavior is a specific kind of deviant behavior, and has a number of
similarities and phenomenological characteristics. In the framework of the
General theory of deviance [1; 2; 3; 5], we can make a classification of types
of destructive behavior on the basis of the following criteria:
1) type interfered by social norms;
2) the orientation of the degradation;
3) the nature and extent of destruction and self-destructive behavior in
General (caused by the damage or).
Destructive behavior, in my opinion, is the
behavior of violating, damaging, or leading to the disintegration of any social
communication and the quality of human life in General. At individual and group levels, the
result of destructive behavior is social dizadaptation (that is broken, distorted adaptation) [1;
2; 3; 4; 5].
Based on our definition of analysis and published scientific literature,
we can say as we think about the two types of destructive behavior:
good-quality-adaptive and destructive-dezadaptation.
On this basis, we can identify three groups of destructive behavior:
1. External-destructive
(antisocial) behavior contrary to the moral and legal norms, disrupting and
destroying them, behavior, threatening social order and well-being of others
people (alcoholism, prostitution, drug addiction, addiction, as well as any
acts or omissions prohibited by the legislation);
2. Indirectly-destructive
(asocial) conduct that violates and destroying the moral and ethical norms
and interpersonal relationships (aggression, violence, open rudeness, conflict,
homelessness, and other);
3. Auto-destructive (dissocial)
conduct that violates and destructive medical and psychological standards,
threatening the integrity and development of the personality and as a result, -
leading to its demise (suicide, substance abuse, food addiction, conformism,
narcissism, fanaticism, autism).
And last. Psychology of deviant behavior offers adolescents and youth
methods of reconstruction of the devastating personal desire in a constructive
education. This is mainly due to:
1). Change the vector of destructive impulse on its application to
future profession. This can be dentistry, veterinary medicine, surgery and
other fields, where aggression can be used with therapeutic and rehabilitative
purpose.
2). Creation of conditions for self-expression of personality in sports
such as shooting, darts (darts - a series of related games, in which players
throw Darts at a circular target hung on a wall), discus, fighting and other
Aggressive impulses already do not destroy, and are directed on performance and
results.
3). In the process of reflection destructiveness in the works of art:
painting of pictures about the war, poems, screenplays for movies, games. The
inner desire to destructiveness becomes a product of creativity or culture.
Literature
1. Klejberg Y.A. Juvenile Deviantology. Saarbrücken: Palmarium
Publishing, Germany, 2012 (ISBN 978-3-8473-9636-9).
2. Klejberg Y.A. Juvenile Psychology of deviant behavior. Nalchik, 2013.
3. Klejberg Y.A. Psychologists family with inadequate parental position
// Organization of work with youth: an interdisciplinary integration of theory
and technology: Collective monograph / Ed. À.À.Zelenin, Ì.S.Yanicky. Kemerovo,
2012.
4. Klejberg Y.A. Socio-psychological approaches to the typology of the
destructive behavior // Phenomenology and prevention of deviant behavior:
materials of the II vseros. nauch.-practical. proc. - In 2 I.: Vol. 1.
Krasnodar, 2008. S.176-187.
5. Klejberg Y.A. Deviantology. Reader. SPb., 2007.