Recognizing Mounting Anxiety

Is there a way to predict that someone is about to get physically violent?

There are certain phases a person goes through before he or she reaches the point of acting out aggressively. Learning to recognize those phases can help those who face combative students avoid an escalation of the problem.

We typically think of aggression as an explosive event. But there are several steps within the aggressive moment that offer opportunities to defuse aggression and the possibility of violence. Recognizing the signs makes aggression management much simpler.

Human aggression is triggered by other people, events, situations, or objects, or a combination of those elements. As the agitated person's anxiety level rises, his ability to think clearly and act rationally decreases. His quality of judgment diminishes.

Left unchecked, increasing aggression could lead to a potentially disastrous explosion of emotions. The consequence may be physical violence that, at a minimum, will disrupt the educational climate of the classroom or the school.

Taking notice early and trying to defuse aggression before it escalates into a crisis is an important skill.

Three Steps of Aggression

It is important to understand that there are typically three levels an individual goes through before violence occurs:

• Mounting Anxiety.

Unlike the normal anxiety we learn to cope with daily, like driving a car or asking someone out on a date, Mounting Anxiety changes us. It makes us act differently. The earliest symptoms of Mounting Anxiety may include refusal to cooperate, spreading rumors about other students or teachers and/or belligerent or extremely irritable behavior.

Later stages of Mounting Anxiety are marked by shallow breathing, squirming, veins standing out in the neck, sweating, pacing and uncharacteristic use of profanity and vulgarity.

These behavioral signs are indicators of an individual's progress through Mounting Anxiety. It is important to note that behavioral changes are the key.

Verbal cues indicate advancing levels of anxiety. An aggressor will typically go through four phases of verbal aggression before loss of verbal control: questioning, refusal, verbal venting and intimidation through threats. Recognizing these stages makes it easier to quickly assess how far the agitated individual is into the Aggression Explosion process and decide on the response most likely to head off the Aggression Moment.

Asking the right questions can help defuse aggression. Try to find out what is bothering the agitated student; often the immediate issue is a poor grade or hurt feelings.

Be careful to frame questions non-judgmentally and avoid accusations.

• Loss of Verbal Control

Words become garbled or sometimes mixed up. Other clues include twitching lips, facial color changes ("red with anger," "white with rage") and even baring of teeth.

At this stage, keeping the agitated student talking may be the difference between a verbal and a physical confrontation. Take heart, law enforcement trainers often note that armed people seldom fire their weapons while talking.

Verbal venting usually does not last any longer than the individual can hold his breath. In the immediate situation, it may be best to stand back and let the student vent. Deal with any inappropriate statements after a cooling-off period.

Avoid aggressive statements of authority that may be viewed as a challenge. Focus on the responsibilities of your job and of the student's role in the classroom and/or the school building. Try not to deal with personal issues.

Set limits. State alternative so the student feels empowered to choose to act appropriately rather than violently. Give the agitated student a choice, so he can feel that he has some control in the situation.

• Loss of Physical Control.

At this stage, the two primary concerns are for the protection of the other students in the area as well as your own well being. When confronted by overt aggression, most people will unconsciously choose one of two primal instincts: fight or flight. As an educator, these options are usually not appropriate. When a student is about to lose physical control, your best bet is to demonstrate calm confidence.

Remember, keep him or her talking!

For additional information you might want to explore these websites:

Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence

Keep Schools Safe Site

National Safe Schools Site