Tantrum
A tantrum, temper tantrum, lash out, meltdown, fit, or hissy fit is an emotional outburst,[1][2][3] usually associated with those in emotional distress. It is typically characterized by stubbornness, crying, screaming, violence,[4] defiance,[5] angry ranting, a resistance to attempts at pacification, and, in some cases, hitting and other physically violent behavior. Physical control may be lost; the person may be unable to remain still; and even if the "goal" of the person is met, they may not be calmed. Throwing a temper tantrum can lead to a child getting detention or being suspended from school for older school age children, and can result in a timeout or grounding, complete with room or corner time, at home.[6][7][8][9][10][11] A tantrum may be expressed in a tirade: a protracted, angry speech.[6][7][12]
In early childhood
Tantrums are one of the most common forms of problematic behavior in young children but tend to decrease in frequency and intensity as the child gets older.[13] For a toddler, tantrums can be considered as normal, and even as gauges of developing strength of character.[14][15][16]
While tantrums are sometimes seen as a predictor of future
Selma Fraiberg warned against "too much pressure or forceful methods of control from the outside" in child-rearing: "if we turn every instance of pants changing, treasure hunting, napping, puddle wading and garbage distribution into a governmental crisis we can easily bring on fierce defiance, tantrums, and all the fireworks of revolt in the nursery".[23]
Intellectual and developmental disorders
Some people who have developmental disorders such as Autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability[24] or even a developmental disability, could be more vulnerable to tantrums than others, although anyone experiencing brain damage (temporary or permanent) can suffer from tantrums.[25] Anyone may be prone to tantrums once in a while, regardless of gender or age.[26][27] However, a meltdown due to sensory overload (which even neurotypical children can experience) is not the same as a temper tantrum.[28]
Aberrations
Freud considered that the Wolf Man's development of temper tantrums was connected with his seduction by his sister: he became "discontented, irritable and violent, took offence on every possible occasion, and then flew into a rage and screamed like a savage".[29] Freud linked the tantrums to an unconscious need for punishment driven by feelings of guilt[30]—something which he thought could be generalised to many other cases of childhood tantrums.[31][32]
Heinz Kohut contended that tantrums were rages of anger,[33] caused by the thwarting of the infant's grandiose-exhibitionist core. The blow to the inflated self-image, when a child's wishes are (however justifiably) refused, creates fury because it strikes at the feeling of omnipotence.[34]
Jealousy over the birth of a sibling, and resulting aggression, may also provoke negativistic tantrums, as the effort at controlling the feelings overloads the child's system of self-regulation.[35][36]
In later life
Writer William Makepeace Thackeray claimed that in later life "you may tell a tantrum as far as you can see one, by the distressed and dissatisfied expression of its countenance—'Tantrumical', if we may term it so".[37]
Heinz Kohut contended that "the baby’s core is likely to contain a self-centered, grandiose-exhibitionist part", and that "tantrums at being frustrated thus represent narcissistic rages"[33] at the blow to the inflated self-image. With "a child confronted with some refusal ... regardless of its justifications, the refusal automatically provokes fury, since it offends his sense of omnipotence".[34]
The willingness of the
If older people show tantrums, they might often be signs of immaturity or a mental or developmental disability; and often autistic or ADHD meltdowns are incorrectly labelled tantrums. It can also occur in neurotypical people under extreme stress.[40]
See also
- Acting out
- Running amok
- Philippic (tirade, orations)
References
- ^ Album, Cabinet (1830). "The Cabinet Album A Collection of Original and Selected Literature". The. Hurst, Chance and Company: 92.
- ^ Foote, Samuel (1765). "The Dramatic Works Volume 1". The Dramatic Works. 1. P. Vaillant: 40–41.
- ^ Payn, James (1869). Married Beneath Him. A novel. By the author of "Lost Sir Massingberd" James Payn. The British Library. p. 369.
- ^ O'Hara, Kane (1770). "Midas An English Burletta. As it is Performed at the Theatre-Royal, in Covent-Garden". Midas an English Burletta. As It is Performed at the Theatre-Royal, in Covent-Garden: 20.
- ^ GOMBERT, A. J. (1825). "The French Drama ... with Notes Critical and Explanatory, by A. G. Volume 2 of The French Drama ... with Notes Critical and Explanatory, by A. G". The French Drama... 2. The British Library: 47.
- ^ a b Penelope Leach. "What is a tantrum?". BabyCentre. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ a b "Temper Tantrums". KidsHealth. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ Karisa Ding (July 26, 2017). "Tantrums". BabyCenter. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- ^ Jan Hunt. "When a Child Has a Tantrum". The Natural Child Project. Retrieved 2011-03-20.
- S2CID 144110786.
- .
- PMID 23006014.
- JSTOR 1125359.
- ^ Robin Skynner; John Cleese (1993). Families and how to survive them. p. 177.
- ^ Isaacs, S. (1940). "Temper tantrums in early childhood in their relation to internal objects". The International Journal of Psychoanalysis. 21: 280–293.
- JSTOR 42725308.
- S2CID 23682833.
- PMID 21707157.
- ^ Roy Benaroch (2008). Solving Health and Behavioural Problems from Birth Through Preschool. p. 157.
- .
- PMID 7789196.
- ^ Patrick Casement (1990). Further Learning from the Patient. pp. 113–4.
- ^ Selma H. Fraiberg (1987). The Magic Years. p. 65.
- JSTOR 42899711.
- PMID 6240965.
- ^ Sandra Ketcham. "Temper Tantrums and Autism". LoveToKnow. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
- S2CID 43291154.
- ^ Bennie, Maureen (2 February 2016). "Tantrum vs Autistic Meltdown: What Is The Difference?". Autism Awareness. Autism Awareness Centre Inc. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
- ^ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). p. 242.
- ^ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). p. 257.
- ^ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). pp. 242 & 257–8.
- doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1997)23:5<329::AID-AB3>3.0.CO;2-D.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ a b H. Goldenberg; I. Goldenberg (2007). Family Therapy. p. 172.
- ^ a b Edmund Bergler in J. Halliday/P. Fuller eds., The Psychology of Gambling (London 1974) p. 182
- ^ Selma H. Fraiberg (1987). The Magic Years. p. 152.
- S2CID 14692506.
- ^ William Makepeace Thackeray (1848). The Irish Sketch Book. J. Winchester. p. 138.
- ^ Cooper Lawrence, The Cult of Celebrity (2009) p. 72
- ^ Simon Crompton, All About Me (London 2007) p. 176
- ^ "North Jersey". North Jersey. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
External links
- The dictionary definition of tantrum at Wiktionary