Promoting Social Competence for Management of Aggressive Behavior

The present study was carried out in four villages of two cultural zones of Haryana state-Mewat and Nardak. Total sample constituted of 400 children, 200 in experimental group and 200 in control group. All these children were pretested for their social competence in hypothetical situations- three stories were used for getting an object from another child and three stories for consequential thinking after doing something wrong. The child being interviewed was asked what the story character could do or say in each situation. Strategies suggested by children were coded as non-forceful or forceful for problem solving. For consequential thinking, number of consequences suggested by children was computed. Use of forceful strategies in interpersonal conflict resolution is one of the indicators of aggressive behavior in children. Intervention package was imparted to experimental group children for a period two months to promote social competence for management of aggressive behaviour. It was found that in both the cultural zones, after exposure to intervention package, there was significantly greater use of non-forceful alternatives in conflict resolution; while use of forceful strategies was reduced significantly as compared to control group children. Experimental group children also suggested significantly greater number of consequences as compared to control group children from both the cultural zones.