What causes a child to react hostile and/or violent?PreludeGang violence has become a number one concern that threatens public workplaces and/or public schools.My idea is that we can observe the features of a kitten to learn what causes a child to react hostile and/or violent. Empirical ObservationObserve the features of a kitten before and/or after it has been prompted with a threatening situation.1. Before being prompted by a threatening situation, we may observe that each feature of a kitten appears relax or calm.2. After being prompted by a threatening situation, we may observe acute change in each feature of a kitten that appears tensed or stressed.Noticeable featuresNoticeable features of the kitten will modify to a defensive or combat-ready posture (e.g. jaws tighten, claws and/or fangs protrude, spine haunches over, tail curls, hair stands up on its back, eyes squint etc.). Real vs. Perception1. Real is when a kitten is really under attack or is being harmed.2. Perception is when a kitten perceives that someone or something is about to harm it.Fight/flight Defense MechanismThe hypothalami area of the brain controls our fight or flight defense mechanism. The latter activates our autonomic nervous system (ANS). The ANS controls the type and amount of painkillers, stressors or clotting agents that enter the bloodstream. These neurotransmitters will have side effects that either accelerate or decelerate motor skills. Child compared to a kittenThreat affects the hypothalamus of a child the same as the perception of being harm does with a kitten. The difference is that a child may suppress his or her feelings. Thus, the overt features are less pronounced in a child than a kitten. A child who drops out of school and/or joins a gangA child who drops out of school and/or joins a gang is harboring a hatred against society for allowing him or her to be punished or mistreated. Gang members lure the child with a false sense of security.Harboring feelings through adolescence or adulthood.A child may harbor feelings of hatred or anger through adolescence or adulthood. The hatred or anger may have resulted from real or perceived events that occurred during childhood. He or she may reflect back on his or her childhood with phrases such as: I hated my home and/or school (i.e. parents, teachers, principals or classmates etc.). SocietySociety, as a whole, may wish to consider ways to supplant the doctrine of punishment with rewards. Rewards may benefit reducing violence in public workplaces or public schools.External links:WikipediaWiktionary