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Hannah G. Harrison, PsyD, is a 2025 graduate of the PsyD program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, Seattle.

Dissertation Committee:

Michael Toohey PhD, ABPP, Committee Chair

Steven E. Curtis, PhD, Committee Member

Jodi Burrus Newman, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

Childhood aggression, aggression, relational aggression, verbal aggression, impulsive, hostile aggression, intentionality, defiance, oppositional, anger, irritability, outbursts, temper tantrum, anger bias, misattribution, construct clarification, literature review, pathology

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Childhood aggression is a frequently observed behavioral phenomenon, yet lacks a precise
definition in both the DSM-5-TR and current research literature. Definitional ambiguity and
construct enmeshment continue to create construct confusion for researchers, clinicians, and
informants. This empirical review of the current literature and diagnostic criteria examines how
childhood aggression has been historically conceptualized, defined, and described. The primary
aim was to identify and clarify inconsistencies in current definitions and to address knowledge
gaps to improve diagnostic clarity. Through a thematic synthesis of recent literature, several key
issues emerged: the absence of a precise definition of childhood aggression; reliance on
fragmented sub-definitions; persistent confusion between aggression and related constructs; a
lack of differentiation between childhood and adult manifestations of aggression; and a lack of
distinction between normative and pathological forms of childhood aggression. These findings
informed the development of a refined, operational definition of childhood aggression that
addresses definitional ambiguity, developmental considerations, and whether behaviors are truly
pathological. Proposed definitions of related constructs were also proposed and differentiated
from childhood aggression. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA
(https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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Hannah G. Harrison, PsyD, 2025

ORCID iD 0009-0002-6364-0622

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