The Role of Goals, Outcome Expectations, and Normative Beliefs in the Occurrence of Aggressive Behavior in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Goals, outcome expectations, and normative beliefs constitute schemas which are thought to affect social information processing and behavior. The aim of this review is to enhance the theoretical framework that elucidates the role of schemas in the occurrence of aggressive behavior in children and adolescents. Empirical and meta-analytic studies on goals, outcome expectations, and normative beliefs in children and adolescents with aggressive behavior are first discussed. Next, areas for future research are specified, in particular the mechanisms involved in the relation between social experiences, schemas, social information processing, and aggressive behavior. According to extant research, we suggest that schemas help elucidate the impact of aggressive children’s and adolescents’ social experiences on their social information processing and, ultimately, their behavior. Therefore, we consider how schemas can be integrated in cognitive behavioral therapy with the objective of achieving long-term changes in adaptive social behavior among children and adolescents with aggressive behavior.