The Development of Aggression and Violence Over the Life Span

Aggression and violence are heterogeneous constructs, but subtyping approaches, including distinctions by developmental course, by progression of severity, and by types of behaviors, illustrate methods to bring greater clarity to their description and identification. Over development, violent behavior shows a course similar to that of the general age–crime curve, whereas aggressive behavior reveals high rates of aggression in early childhood that, for most individuals, desist by adolescence. Several key intraindividual factors, including social cognition, callous–unemotional features, and intelligence, help to explain why some individuals show greater aggression or violence than others. Effective intervention strategies exist, but important barriers remain in the identification and engagement in services of those most in need of intervention. Keywords: aggression; desistance; development; persistence; subtyping; violence