Moving against the world: Life-course patterns of explosive children.

Abstract

Do ill-tempered children become ill-tempered adults? What are the life-course consequences of such an explosive interactional style? What processes can account for the persistence of maladaptive behavior across time and circumstance? To answer these questions, this study used data from the Berkeley Guidance Study (Macfarlane, Allen, & Honzik, 1954) to identify children with a pattern of temper tantrums in late childhood (ages 8-10) and to trace the continuities and consequences of this behavioral style across the subsequent 30 years of their lives. Life-course continuities in this behavioral style were found for both sexes. Men with histories of childhood tantrums experienced downward occupational mobility, erratic work lives, and were likely to divorce. Women with such histories married men with lower occupational status, were likely to divorce, and became ill-tempered mothers. It is proposed that maladaptive behaviors are sustained through the progressive accumulation of their own consequences (cumulative continuity) and by evoking maintaining responses from others during reciprocal social interaction (interactional continuity).

A Risk‐Amplification Model of Victimization and Depressive Symptoms Among Runaway and Homeless Adolescents

“…Maladaptive family histories and behaviors of the runaways select them into environments that perpetuate negative behaviors and negative interaction styles. Their street experiences help to exacerbate and crystallize those behaviors: "They (maladaptive behaviors) are sustained by the progressive accumulation of their own consequences" (Caspi et al, 1987). From Patterson's (1982) social learning perspective this is "advanced training" for antisocial behaviors and other psychological consequences.…”

“…What Patterson et al, (1984) termed "basic training" for antisocial behaviors in the family becomes "advanced training" on the streets. Early interaction processes set up anticipatory attitudes that affect the young person's interpretation of new social relationships and lead to behaviors that confirm these expectations (Caspi, Bem, & Elder, 1989;Caspi, Elder, & Bern, 1987).…”

Genetic and environmental influences on internalizing psychopathology vary as a function of economic status

“…Overall, our results suggest that social selection and social causation may operate in some joint manner. Individuals with manifest psychopathology may find themselves unable to fulfil important life tasks (social selection), thus exposing them to greater social stressors and hardships, which ultimately exacerbates their mental illness (social causation), leading to a downward spiral (Caspi et al 1987 ;Miech et al 1999).…”

Low Socioeconomic Status and Mental Disorders: A Longitudinal Study of Selection and Causation during Young Adulthood

“…If social causation acts alone it suggests that people from lower-SES environments are 'battered and bruised' by SES-linked social stressors and end up with higher levels of mental disorders. If we find joint effects, in contrast, this would suggest a more complex process whereby SES-linked mental disorders lead afflicted individuals to fall further into the lower social strata and, over time, become further exposed to social stressors that foster disorders, a cycle of disadvantage that can accumulate over the life course (Caspi, Elder, and Bem 1987). Current research investigating the SES-based social stressors that induce disorders such as anxiety and depression operates under the assumption of exclusive social causation (Turner, Wheaton, and Lloyd 1995;Aneshensel 1992), but the need to revisit this assumption -which is based on only scarce longitudinal evidence -is suggested by recent research that contradicts it .…”