What Is A Child’s Defiance Disorder?

Have you ever heard of a child’s Emperor Syndrome? This is a psychological state that changes a child’s behavior. The child may become dominant, and thus try to control other family members.

This disorder in children is actually a relatively broader phenomenon, also known in English as Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). Children with this disorder try to control the people around them in their  daily lives.

The parents of these children have real difficulty making decisions that are contrary to the child’s wishes. These things can be quite insignificant, such as choosing a TV channel or deciding on dinner food.

Naturally, the problem also extends to more important things, such as choosing a vacation spot, buying new toys, or even deciding whether or not to have a new baby for the family.

How is a child’s defiance disorder detected?

As the name already suggests, this disorder describes a child who refuses to let another person make decisions for him or her. A child wants to control his or her environment in all situations, and if he or she feels he or she is not allowed to do so, the result is usually aggressive behavior.

A child’s defiance disorder is manifested as the following behavior:

• Hurricanes  and eruptions
• Verbal and physical  aggression towards  parents and other authorities
• Attempts to psychologically manipulate  parents
• Repeated  self-centered behavior
• Can’t stand frustration at all
• Excessive and absurd requirements
• The child presents the victim to persuade his parents

Why does defiance disorder develop?

Researchers refer to the theory that defiance disorder is caused by a child spending too little time with their parents and other adult relatives. The causes of the problem appear to be much more social than biological.

The fact that supports this theory is that children are not born as determinants, but behavior develops over the years. According to experts, the average age for the onset of defiance disorder is lower and lower.

So is it the case that parental working hours contribute to the development of defiance disorder? It seems that  inadequate spending time with children can lead to the inability to set clear boundaries for children.

In addition, parents can feel guilty after long working days  , which makes them succumb to the child’s requests and whims more often than would be good. In this case, the child finds that manipulating the parents is not difficult.

And does the number of children matter? Defiance disorder is not a problem that only occurs in the only children in the family. As you know, many of the only children in the family are well-mannered and do not suffer from this psychological disorder. Conversely, there are children who have siblings who try to control both these and their parents.

How to deal with a child with defiance?

The first step is to solve the problem of violence. Whether the violence is directed at parents, siblings, teachers, or other authorities, it must be brought to an end. Here, the example of parents and the hard work are key. The importance of dialogue, respect and tolerance should be communicated to the child.

On the other hand, work must be done to develop the child’s ability to empathize. This means that the child should be taught how others feel in any situation and how the child can react positively to the situation.

In addition, and perhaps most importantly, the child should be  set boundaries from the beginning. The child should understand that the rules of conduct must be followed both at home and in other places. The child should understand that he or she should act on these and let the rules dictate his or her life.

For children whose teaching is going well and producing results, it is important to implement positive reinforcement. Recognition and rewards for following the rules will make the child do things right and easier.

There is, of course, one factor that is as central as it is inflexible, namely time. When a child constantly spends time with his or her parents, who take on the right role, the child does not suffer from  defiance disorder at any point in his or her childhood. The child then knows that the parents are present and take care of him and that he must respect his parents.

School and teens

Finally, we mention something that has become increasingly common in recent years.

Teachers – of course – often oppose the demands of disobedient students. They often receive  complaints and poor feedback from parents who question teachers ’control and decisions.

This in turn contributes to the emergence of defiance disorder in children.
Once again, the child uses his or her power to manipulate, get through his or her demands, and use his or her parents to his or her own advantage.

The same type of use also occurs in teenagers. Children this age may not be aware of their own boundaries, and strongly believe they can always get what they want. This can lead to violent behavior towards parents and friends. It is very important to get expert help if such use occurs.

In short, parents should ensure that children do not lack anything important as they grow up, but on the other hand, there should also be no  fear of setting boundaries and rules. If this is not done, the child’s studies, future working life and social behavior will suffer greatly.