P1 – Describe the characteristics and causes of challenging behaviour.
Within this assignment I will be looking to explain what the phrase ‘challenging behaviour ‘and going
onto describing the different characteristics and cause of challenging behaviour. Challenging
behaviour is seen to be a ‘term used to describe those behaviours that threaten the quality of
life and/or physical safety of an individual or others.’ (Adhc.nsw.gov.au, 2017) this behaviour
could be verbal or non verbal , when faced with such challenging behaviour it is important
that we aim to reduce the amount of harm and put the behaviour to a halt in its tracks
(Adhc.nsw.gov.au, 2017).
Cycle of arousal is different sections such as the triggering stage, the escalation phase,
crises phase, recovery phase, Post-crisis depression phase and the goal. The triggering
stage is when an ‘event that triggers or provokes the rest of the arousal cycle; you get into
an argument, are threatened, or receive some information that shocks you.’ (Karmin,
2017)The escalation phase is where the ‘the body’s arousal systems prepare for a crisis’
(Karmin, 2017) by preparing to ‘attack or defend itself by pumping adrenaline into the blood
stream’ (Karmin, 2017)inducing rapid breathing , high heart rate and blood pressure and
many more symptoms. The recovery phase is an action that has ‘been taken to resolve the
crisis phase, the body begins to recover from the extreme stress and expenditure of energy’.
(Karmin, 2017) Post-crises depression phase is where ‘the body enters a short period in
which the heart rate slips below normal so the body can regain its balance (homeostasis)
allowing the person to assess what has happened. Lastly the goal which is where ‘self-
management in anger is to recognize the mental and intensely physical experiences of your
own anger to the degree that you can more readily choose the constructive course of action.’
(Karmin, 2017).
One form of challenging behaviour is physical abuse, physical abuse is when someone
deliberately goes out their way to hurt / injure you or another person (Childline.org.uk, 2017).
Physical abuse can consist of the following actions ; hitting , scratching , biting , pushing ,
kicking , chocking and many more ... in many cases children are the main victims of
physical abuse this could be because they are seen to be vulnerable but this could also
depend on the condition and what positon the child is in that makes them vulnerable to such
direct abuse , some reasons may relate to the following ; The child might have special needs
and the parent doesn’t know how to handle raising a child with such needs or have a issue
with having a child that is special need , second reason could be is the child has a
personality that isn’t a reflection of the career in terms of having the same interests , third
reason could be is if a child is rebelling their parents and lastly if the child was born from a
unwanted pregnancy this could lead to physical abuse (Eschooltoday.com, 2017). in terms of
physical abuse as a whole this could be caused when a person has had a history of abuse
during childhood which could lead then to come to the conclusion that by abusing others is
the right and only way to get what they want , another way the cause of physical abuse could
happen is when the person is abusing a substance such as drugs or alcohol which would
lead the person to lose control and cause them to do things that they will regret lastly
another thing that could cause the influence of physical abuse is if the person isn’t mentally
stable even if they look fine (Eschooltoday.com, 2017) . A person who is suffering from physical
abuse could suffer from the following; suicidal behaviour, self-mutilation, panic disorder and
post -traumatic stress disorder (Tracy, 2017).
Second form of challenging behaviour is self-destruction, Self-destruction is when there is a
‘The voluntary destruction of something by itself.” (Personality & Spirituality, 2017) self-
destruction can consist of the following behaviours such as ‘’ deny oneself happiness but
can instead cause pain, either deliberately or inadvertently’’(Personality & Spirituality, 2017)
