Emerging Themes from the “21st Workshop on Aggression: Socio-Emotional Programs – Preventing Aggression” in Oradea/Baile Felix,Romania

Contributions from Bullying Research

Bullying among young people is a serious, common social problem that can have repercussions through adulthood. Dorothy Espelage, professor of psychology, University of Florida, USA, and the recipient of the APA Lifetime Achievement Award in Prevention Science was one of the conference keynote presenters. She discussed aspects related with bullying in adolescence, including face-to-face bullying, cyberbullying, homophobic name-calling, harassment, and teen dating violence among middle and high school students. Peter K. Smith, emeritus professor of psychology at Goldsmiths College, University of London, talked about anti-bullying interventions in different cultures. Reviewing meta-analytical studies, both, Espelage and Smith concluded that anti-bullying interventions were mainly developed and evaluated in western countries and – in terms of efficacy - have some but only moderate success. Both invited keynotes and researchers involved in the symposium chaired by Kyriakos Charalampous (University of Cyprus) supported the need for bullying prevention programs that include multiple ecologically-based components. In several talks the positive impact of social emotional learning programs to address bullying has been mentioned. For example, in her talk, Espelage explained that traditional bullying perpetration often is an antecedent of cyberbullying perpetration in middle school, whereas peer victimization and cyberbullying perpetration operate within a reciprocal influence model. Other presented papers provided support for the relationship between traditional bullying/victimization and cyberbullying/victimization. Thus, bullying prevention programs need to consider how face to face bullying perpetration might spill over into cyberspace where adult monitoring is relatively absent. Social emotional learning programs could empower students with social skills (Espelage et al., 2013). Bullying perpetration is associated with homophobic name-calling over the middle school years. According to the Bully-Sexual Violence Pathway Theory (Espelage et al., 2012), bullying perpetration and homophobic teasing were significant predictors of sexual harassment perpetration over time. Thus, it seems reasonable that bullying prevention programs address homophobic teasing and sexual harassment components among middle school adolescents (Espelage et al., 2014).

Many of the presented papers addressing bullying showed that this problematic behavior often occurs concurrently with other types of aggression and other risky behaviors, and is often associated with other emotional problems including both internalizing and externalizing difficulties. Social emotional learning programs are an alternative to address bullying because these programs foster systematically the development of a core set of social and emotional skills that support adolescents to manage life challenges such as violence and aggression, peer victimization, homophobic teasing, and sexual harassment/violence more effectively.

Violence and Aggression Prevention Programs

Violence among students has emerged as a major concern in most European countries. Herbert Scheithauer, professor of developmental and clinical psychology at Freie Universität Berlin, was invited as a keynote speaker and he talked about school violence prevention. NETWASS (Networks Against School Shootings; Leuschner et al., 2017) is a standardized, school-based prevention program designed in reaction to dramatic cases of school shootings in Germany. It is based on early intervention in student psychosocial crises, combining the threat assessment approach with a general model of prevention of emergency situations in schools. The primary aim of this program is to identify and help students in a critical pathway to violence and to train teachers to be more attentive to indications of a student in psychosocial crisis. NETWASS was nationally implemented in 98 German schools with 3,473 staff participants. The results showed that the program increased school staff expertise and evaluation skills. It enhanced the abilities to identify students experiencing a psychosocial crisis that led to targeted school violence recognition and prevention. The program also improved confidence in school organizational structures, trust in external partners who worked with schools, improved teacher-student interaction, and promoted school staff cohesion and feelings of safety.

Ann Vernon, emeritus professor of psychology at the University of Northern Iowa, USA, and president of Albert Ellis Institute is the author of two well-known Rational Emotive Behavioral Education (REBE) programs: Thinking, Feeling, Behaving, and The Passport Program. REBE is a socio-emotional learning program, the aim of which is to teach children and adolescents to become more rational and better adapted personally and socially. Trip, Vernon, and McMahon (2007) investigated the effectiveness of REBE through a quantitative meta-analytical study. They found large effect sizes for academic problem solving, anxiety reduction, and average effect sizes for a decrease in behavioral problems. In her presentation, Vernon identified effective strategies for helping children and adolescents to develop socio-emotional skills in order to deal more effectively with anger which so often leads to aggression and violence.

Howard Kassinove, professor of psychology, and director of the Institute for the Study and Treatment of Anger and Aggression, Hofstra University, New York, presented as a conference keynote speaker a paper about anger and interpersonal aggression. “Anger is a felt emotional state that varies in intensity, duration and frequency; is associated with cognitive distortions, verbal and motor behaviors and pattern of physical arousal. Anger is not a form of aggression, and most often does not lead to aggression” (Kassinove & Tafrate, 2002, p. 12). Based on anger episode model, Kassinove and Tafrate (2002) developed and presented the SMART anger management program.

Forensic Assessment and Intervention

Prevalence rates of mental problems in forensic populations exceed those found in the general community. One of the invited keynotes, Raymond Chip Tafrate, professor at the Central Connecticut State University, talked about forensic cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). An emerging body of research indicates that reducing future criminality has little to do with reducing mental health symptoms. Less than 10% of criminal behavior can be linked to symptoms. Mental health symptoms were unrelated to recidivism, whereas criminal risk factors predicted general and violent re-offending. The “central 8” criminal risk domains were reviewed, both the “big four” (history of criminal/ antisocial behavior, antisocial orientation, antisocial companions, criminogenic thinking) and “the moderate four” (lack of connection to work, school, substance abuse/ misuse, dysfunctional family/ romantic relationships, aimless use of leisure time). The presentation offered specific examples and empirical support for the incorporation of criminal risk domains into assessment, case conceptualization, and treatment planning.

In the field of forensic psychology, the symposium chaired by Alina Rusu (“Babeş-Bolyai” University) discussed several modalities and functions of strategies used by animals and humans to signal aggression. Using profiling strategies of decoding the hidden signs, aggression components of sexual offences among juveniles and indicators of high aggression at the crime scenes were described. The behavioral analysis of the facial emotions indicated that the emotion of happiness was often associated with negative emotional triggers such as lies and verbal description of the physical aggression against another person or by antisocial acts.

Furthermore, three oral and four poster presentations were related to the forensic psychology domain. Their conclusions support that cultural acceptance of sexism is an important indirect variable that was related to perpetration. Offenders experienced significantly more victimization and anger than non-offenders. Young offenders who showed strong emotional reactions to experiences of abuse started with behavior problems at an earlier age. James McMahon, Albert Ellis Institute, New York, and professor emeritus of University of Oradea, offered a presentation about murder, discussing its root causes, and opportunities of prevention.

Social and Civic Behaviors

Social and civic behaviors are key competencies for lifelong learning. The symposium Europe 2038 – Voice of the youth, chaired by Carmen Bora, University of Oradea, was part of the project with the same name, funded by the Europe for Citizens program 2014–2020 (Strand 2: Democratic engagement and civic participation; Action 2.3: Civil society projects; project ID 564710). The project is currently conducted in seven European countries: Albania, Austria, Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, and UK. The aim is to identify young people’s visions for the future of Europe: personal and European priorities and worries. Also, attitudes, values and behaviors of young people between 16 and 26 years are being assessed in order to identify their connection with the visions of similar aged cohorts throughout the countriesstudied.

Results revealed that Romanian young people are focused on health, job, happiness, safety, and health environment with regard to their personal future. Regarding the future of Europe, their priorities are related to freedom, health care, human/children’s rights, security, and education. Women considered these priorities as being more important than men. For the Austrian young people, the top priority was human rights, followed by education, and security. Gender and country of birth moderated the priority list: More women than men and more people who were born abroad than in Austria chose human rights. Italian youths, in particular adolescents, reported the need of a future Europe caring more of the following issues: integration, unemployment, and safety, a more “sympathetic” Europe with stronger identity and connections, and a Europe where education and the respect of human rights are the most relevant priorities for the future. Personal priorities are happiness and health, as well as having a job. Variables associated with well-being such as happiness were the most relevant for Spanish youth. Very important was “employment” due to the difficulty that Spanish people have actually getting a job. To be healthy was the third priority, probably being the key to achieve many other variables.

The top five worries of young people from the Romanian sample were linked to injustice, violence and crime, increase in diseases, terrorism, and corruption, with women being most concerned regarding these topics. Romanian young people identified themselves as European citizens. The most important values embraced by young Romanian citizens were human rights, diversity, democracy and justice, as well as rule of law. They reported openness to diversity and to other people, and high community efficacy. Frustration intolerance and ambiguity intolerance have been shown to influence young people in setting their personal priorities and their worries. The top five worries identified by Austrian young persons were: war in Europe, terrorism, rise of the extremist right wing parties, prejudice / discrimination / racisms, and climate change. More men than women were afraid of a war in Europe, and of terrorism.

Altogether 68.3% of the young people reported some kind of social exclusion and discrimination in school, 42.5% at work, and 38.1% during their education. Gender and country of birth moderated exclusion experiences. Young people with higher levels of exclusion experiences expressed more fears regarding the future of Europe. Young people from Italy reported main concerns regarding terrorism, unemployment, discrimination and racism, and war and violence. Adolescents reported to be more concerned about these issues than young adults. It was much more difficult to identify the most important worries for Spanish youngsters, nonetheless, terrorism and unemployment were their two main worries. Spanish adolescents would prioritize education as the key to unlock and resolve all the rest of theissues.

Conclusions

In sum, this workshop offered the opportunity to discuss the current and future state of research on aggressive and prosocial behaviors. Workshop participants shared their empirical findings and were very much focused on improving the effect of programs in preventing aggression/violence in different areas of life. Additionally, the 21st Workshop on Aggression gave us the occasion to have a wonderful celebration of the 20th anniversary of education and research in Psychology at the University of Oradea. It is my pleasure to thank the faculty members who played or still play a role in the life of faculty and students: Elena Bonchiş, PhD, Nicolae Mitrofan, PhD, Mihai Aniţei, PhD, James McMahon, PhD, Daniel David, PhD, Paul Negruţ, PhD, Tinca Creţu, PhD, Anca Dobrean, PhD, Stefan Szamoskozi, PhD, Pavel Petroman, PhD, Adrian Hatos, PhD, Sergiu Bălţătescu, PhD, Florica Ştefanescu, PhD, Floare Chipea, PhD, Ann Vernon, PhD, Irina Holdevici, PhD, Howard Kassinove, PhD, Cecilia Sas, PhD, Gheorghe Oros, MD, Hadrian Vaida, PhD; and those who have passed from the scene including Teodor Maghiar, PhD, Nicolae Jurcău, PhD, Ion Radu, PhD, and Prof. Mielu Zlate, PhD. All of them were – and still are – great teachers and benefactor who supported “the birth” of the department and to sustain the programs in Psychology.

The 22nd Workshop on Aggression will be organized by University of Cyprus, and take place on 23rd–25th of November, 2017, in Nicosia, Cyprus.