MALAYSIA: AGGRESSIVE behaviour is natural among adolescents, who are also more easily influenced by violent content on television and video games.
Kenneth Phun, senior lecturer in socio and educational psychology at Help University College, blames it on biology.
"The prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls executive decision-making and self-regulation, is not fully developed in adolescents.
"The amygdala, which serves as an early warning system in the brain against threats, is already highly developed and usually, in teenagers, it reacts in a very emotional way. This is why teenagers are more prone to reacting emotionally rather than rationally."
He said corrective measures should be taken from an early age.
"They need a lot of guidance and learn that they have to accept who they are.
"Posting video clips on the Internet is their 10 seconds of fame. It is the vehicle for aggression. If you take that away, they will find something else."
Phun said a tip could be taken from schools in the United States, where anger management is being taught.
"They start with children as young as 5 years old and research has shown that it works.
"Teenagers need a way to boost their self-esteem."
Dr Edward Chan, principal consultant psychologist of the Malaysian Psychology Centre (MPC), agreed that it was natural for teenage boys to be aggressive.
He said in tribal cultures, it was normal practice for teenage boys to go through a rite of passage into adulthood, which usually involved a violent act.
"In the tribal culture, the youngsters are guided, but here, the aggression is unsupervised, making it more dangerous. If they cannot find an accepted form, they will find alternatives," he said.
On using the Internet to "boast" about their violent acts, Dr Chan said this was a form of self-expression.
"Sites like YouTube allow them space to vent aggression. which is a natural part of growing up. This is mainly for boys and it is something we cannot suppress.
"They don't find acceptance or understanding from parents and teachers, so they look for the next best avenue, which is acceptance from their peers," Chan said.
