Product Code Database
A tantrum, conniption, angry outburst, temper tantrum, lash out, meltdown, fit of anger, or hissy fit is an , usually associated with those in emotional distress. It is typically characterized by , crying, screaming, violence, , anger , a resistance to attempts at pacification, and in some cases, hitting 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. A tantrum may be expressed in a tirade: a protracted, angry speech.
While tantrums are sometimes seen as a predictor of future anti-social behavior, in another sense they are simply an age-appropriate sign of excessive frustration, and will diminish over time given a calm and consistent handling. Parental containment where a child cannot contain themself—rather than what the child is ostensibly demanding—may be what is really required.
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".
Heinz Kohut contended that tantrums were rages of anger, caused by the thwarting of the infant's Grandiosity-Exhibitionism core. 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.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".
Jealousy over the birth of a Sibling rivalry, and resulting aggression, may also provoke negativistic tantrums, as the effort at controlling the feelings overloads the child's system of self-regulation.
The willingness of the celebrity to throw tantrums whenever thwarted to the least degreeCooper Lawrence, The Cult of Celebrity (2009) p. 72 is a kind of acquired situational narcissismSimon Crompton, All About Me (London 2007) p. 176 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 Neurodiversity people under extreme stress.
|
|
