Tantrum

A tantrum, conniption, angry outburst[1], temper tantrum, lash out, meltdown, fit of anger, or hissy fit is an emotional outburst,[2][3][4] usually associated with those in emotional distress. It is typically characterized by stubbornness[5], crying, screaming, violence,[6] defiance,[7][8] angry ranting, a resistance to attempts at pacification, and in some cases, hitting or bullying 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 may lead to a child getting detention or being suspended from school for older school age children, and could result in a timeout or grounding, complete with room or corner time, at home.[9][10][11][12][13][14] A tantrum may be expressed in a tirade: a protracted, angry speech.[9][10][15]

## Contents

* 1 In early childhood
* 2 Intellectual and developmental disorders
* 3 Aberrations
* 4 In later life
* 5 See also
* 6 References
* 7 External links

## 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.[16] For a toddler, tantrums can be considered as normal, and even as gauges of developing strength of character.[17][18][19]

While tantrums are sometimes seen as a predictor of future anti-social behavior,[20] in another sense they are simply an age-appropriate sign of excessive frustration,[21] and will diminish over time given a calm and consistent handling.[22][23][24] Parental containment where a child cannot contain themself—rather than what the child is ostensibly demanding—may be what is really required.[25]

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".[26]

## Intellectual and developmental disorders

Some people who have developmental disorders such as autism, Asperger syndrome, ADHD, and intellectual disability[27] 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.[28] Anyone may be prone to tantrums once in a while, regardless of gender or age.[29][30] However, a meltdown due to sensory overload (which even non-autistic children can experience) is not the same as a temper tantrum.[31]

## 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".[32] Freud linked the tantrums to an unconscious need for punishment driven by feelings of guilt[33]—something which he thought could be generalised to many other cases of childhood tantrums.[34][35]

Heinz Kohut contended that tantrums were rages of anger, caused by the thwarting of the infant's grandiose-exhibitionist core.[36] 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.[37]

Jealousy over the birth of a sibling, and resulting aggression,[38] may also provoke negativistic tantrums, as the effort at controlling the feelings overloads the child's system of self-regulation.[39][40]

## 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".[41]

The willingness of the celebrity to throw tantrums whenever thwarted to the least degree[42] is a kind of acquired situational narcissism[43] or tantrumical behavior.

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.[44]

## See also

* Social:Acting out - Performing an action considered bad
* Berserker fights in a frenzy

## References

1. ↑ J.P., Maxwell (2004). "Anger rumination: An antecedent of athlete aggression?". Psychology of Sport and Exercise 5 (3): 279-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1469-0292(03)00007-4.
2. ↑ "The Cabinet Album: A Collection of Original and Selected Literature". Book (Hurst Chance and Company): 92. 1830.
3. ↑ Foote, Samuel (1765). "The Dramatic Works Volume 1". The Dramatic Works (P. Vaillant) 1: 40–41.
4. ↑ Payn, James (1869). Married Beneath Him. A novel. By the author of "Lost Sir Massingberd" James Payn. The British Library. pp. 369.
5. ↑ "Novels [originally Published in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, 1886-1894]". Novels (The Ohio State University: United States: Lippincott) 1: 272. 1886.
6. ↑ 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.
7. ↑ 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... (The British Library) 2: 47.
8. ↑ K.A., Freeman (2004). "Introduction to Special Issue on Adolescent Conduct Problems.". Behavior Modification 28 (3): 323-330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445503258997.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Penelope Leach. "What is a tantrum?". http://www.babycentre.co.uk/toddler/penelopeleach/whatisatantrum/.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Temper Tantrums". http://kidshealth.org/parent/emotions/behavior/tantrums.html.
11. ↑ Karisa Ding (July 26, 2017). "Tantrums". http://www.babycenter.com/0_tantrums_11569.bc.
12. ↑ Jan Hunt. "When a Child Has a Tantrum". The Natural Child Project. http://www.naturalchild.org/jan_hunt/tantrum.html.
13. ↑ Mullen, J.K. (1983). "Understanding and managing the temper tantrum". Child Care Quarterly 12 (1): 59–70. doi:10.1007/BF01258080.
14. ↑ Geelerd, E.R. (1945). "Observations on temper tantrums in children". American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 15 (2): 238–246. doi:10.1111/j.1939-0025.1945.tb04937.x.
15. ↑ Daniels, Elizabeth; Mandleco, Barbara; Luthy, Karlen E. (2012). "Assessment, management, and prevention of childhood temper tantrums". Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 24 (10): 569–573. doi:10.1111/j.1745-7599.2012.00755.x. PMID 23006014.
16. ↑ Banham Bridges, Katharine M. (1932). "Emotional Development in Early Infancy". Child Development 3 (4): 324–341. doi:10.2307/1125359.
17. ↑ Robin Skynner; John Cleese (1993). Families and how to survive them. p. 177.
18. ↑ Isaacs, S. (1940). "Temper tantrums in early childhood in their relation to internal objects.". The International Journal of Psychoanalysis 21: 280–293.
19. ↑ Solter, A. (1992). "Understanding Tears and Tantrums". Young Children 47 (4): 64–68.
20. ↑ Potegal, Michael; Davidson, Richard J. (June 2003). "Temper Tantrums in Young Children". Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics 24 (3): 140–147. doi:10.1097/00004703-200306000-00002. PMID 12806225.
21. ↑ Green, J.A.; Whitney, P.G.; Potegal, M. (2011). "Screaming, yelling, whining, and crying: Categorical and intensity differences in vocal expressions of anger and sadness in children's tantrums.". Emotion 11 (5): 1124–1133. doi:10.1037/a0024173. PMID 21707157.
22. ↑ Roy Benaroch (2008). Solving Health and Behavioural Problems from Birth Through Preschool. p. 157.
23. ↑ Kopp, C.B. (1989). "Regulation of distress and negative emotions: A developmental view.". Developmental Psychology 25 (3): 343–354. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.25.3.343.
24. ↑ Levine, Linda (1995). "Young Children's Understanding of the Causes of Anger and Sadness". Child Development 66 (3): 967–709. doi:10.2307/1131944. PMID 7789196.
25. ↑ Patrick Casement (1990). Further Learning from the Patient. pp. 113–4.
26. ↑ Selma H. Fraiberg (1987). The Magic Years. p. 65.
27. ↑ Luiselli, J.; Murbach, L. (2002). "Providing Instruction from Novel Staff as an Antecedent Intervention for Child Tantrum Behavior in a Public School Classroom". Education and Treatment of Children 25 (3): 356–365.
28. ↑ Lancioni, G. E.; Smeets, P. M.; Ceccarani, P. S.; Capodaglio, L.; Campanari, G. (1984). "Effects of gross motor activities on the severe self-injurious tantrums of multihandicapped individuals.". Applied Research in Mental Retardation 5 (4): 471–482. doi:10.1016/S0270-3092(84)80039-9. PMID 6240965.
29. ↑ Sandra Ketcham. "Temper Tantrums and Autism". LoveToKnow. http://autism.lovetoknow.com/Temper_Tantrums_and_Autism.
30. ↑ Osterman, Karin; Bjorkqvist, Kaj (April 1, 2010). "A Cross-Sectional Study of Onset, Cessation, Frequency, and Duration of Children's Temper Tantrums in a Nonclinical Sample". Psychological Reports 106 (2): 448–454. doi:10.2466/pr0.106.2.448-454. PMID 20524545.
31. ↑ Bennie, Maureen (2 February 2016). "Tantrum vs Autistic Meltdown: What Is The Difference?". Autism Awareness Centre Inc.. https://autismawarenesscentre.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-tantrum-and-an-autistic-meltdown/.
32. ↑ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). p. 242.
33. ↑ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). p. 257.
34. ↑ Sigmund Freud. Case Histories II (PFL 9). pp. 242 & 257–8.
35. ↑ M., R.J, Potegal, Davidson (1997). "Young children's post tantrum affiliation with their parents". Aggressive Behavior 23 (5): 329–341. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1098-2337(1997)23:5<329::AID-AB3>3.0.CO;2-D.
36. ↑ H. Goldenberg; I. Goldenberg (2007). Family Therapy. pp. 172. "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" at the blow to the inflated self-image."
37. ↑ Edmund Bergler in J. Halliday/P. Fuller eds., The Psychology of Gambling (London 1974) p. 182: With "a child confronted with some refusal ... regardless of its justifications, the refusal automatically provokes fury, since it offends his sense of omnipotence".
38. ↑ J., H.A., Kagan, Moss (1962). "The stability of behavior: II. Aggression. In J. Kagan & H. A. Moss, Birth to maturity: A study in psychological development". Birth to Maturity: A Study in Psychological Development (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.): 85–119. doi:10.1037/13129-004. https://doi.org/10.1037/13129-004.
39. ↑ Selma H. Fraiberg (1987). The Magic Years. p. 152.
40. ↑ Dennis, Tracy A. (2006). "Emotional self-regulation in preschoolers: The interplay approach reactivity, and control capacities". Developmental Psychology 42 (1): 84–97. doi:10.1037/0012-1649.42.1.84. PMID 16420120.
41. ↑ William Makepeace Thackeray (1848). The Irish Sketch Book. J. Winchester. p. 138. https://archive.org/details/irishsketchbook01thacgoog.
42. ↑ Cooper Lawrence, The Cult of Celebrity (2009) p. 72
43. ↑ Simon Crompton, All About Me (London 2007) p. 176
44. ↑ Cohn, Janice. "North Jersey". http://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/adult-temper-tantrums-1.1126134.

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