Understanding aggressive behavior in children requires the integration of data from a broad variety of fields. But all too often, researchers have proceeded in isolation from one another. In this groundbreaking volume, Craig F. Ferris and Thomas Grisso bring together experts from a variety of disciplines--neuroscience, behavioral science, medicine, psychology, sociology, and ethics--to offer a broad-based look at a topic with far-reaching consequences, not only for childhood but also for society at large. Among the often surprising findings:

Girls who watch violent TV shows tend to become more physically aggressive than those who do not.Contrary to the popular myth, schoolyard bullies do not usually suffer from low self-esteem; they are, says one researcher, just "mean." Counseling has no significant effect on hyperactive children, leaving drug therapy as the "best hope."Children who are victims of abuse and neglect and later become violent adults undergo detectable changes in brain chemistry.