Page 209 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

gossip, psychological violence, and social marginalization (Li et al., 2021;

Menesini, 2000, cited in Patrizi & Biasi, 2017: 11).

Violence and aggression are easy to spot, especially when people's

behaviour changes. As early as primary school, teachers strive to prevent
and combat stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination, and opt for the

development of autonomous thinking to give children security and ease of
adjustment. Children from a young age can form the feeling that they cannot

adapt to and/or fit into society; thus, they become internalised which can

later lead to frustrations that they try to eliminate the feeling by harming
others in turn when they grow up (Iannaco, 2020).

Adolescence is a difficult time since new physical and mental needs are born

during that time and with them the family balance changes. Conflicts with
parents become the order of the day. Children struggle to recognise, process

and control their emotions and therefore to show their independence from

the rules imposed by their parents. The period of adolescence represents the
interruption of unproblematic growth, which resembles a variety of other

emotional and structural disturbances (Frigioiu, 2009, p. 54).

Several risk factors can lead the adolescent to become violent towards

parents, for example, dysfunctional communication in the family; guilt-
based parenting; denigration; exasperated coercion and physical

punishment; frequent exposure to family disputes (especially if violent); low

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