We must look inward to understand juvenile violence

THE recent disturbing incidents in our schools involving bullying, sexual assault and even murder have prompted widespread public concern.

Predictably, public conversation has turned towards assigning blame: Are schools and teachers at fault for inadequate supervision?

Are parents failing in moral guidance? Is the education system itself deficient in shaping values?

While these are valid questions, they may not reach the root of the problem.

To understand and prevent such violence, we must look at the biological and psychological processes that shape a child’s behaviour.

Adolescence is a period of rapid neural, hormonal and emotional change. The developing brain is extraordinarily plastic and constantly reorganising in response to experience.

During this stage, young people absorb not only what they are explicitly taught but also what they witness, sense and feel within their families, peers and digital environment.

Stress, rejection or exposure to aggression are not just external experiences; they also imprint themselves as physiological patterns that shape thought, emotion and behaviour.

When a student turns to aggression or bullying, it may not arise purely from external influences or moral deficiency.

More often, it reflects dysregulation within the body’s own stress and emotional systems, an inability to recognise or manage internal states of tension, fear or anger.

If we ignore this biological reality, our interventions will remain superficial – punishing behaviour without healing the underlying imbalance.

If this perspective is accepted, our preventive strategies must also evolve. Beyond enforcing discipline or adding moral lessons, schools must become environments that help children understand and manage their inner experiences.

This means teaching them the science of the body and mind from a young age, and introducing scientifically validated practices that cultivate self-awareness and emotional regulation.

This can help students notice their body’s stress signals and restore calm before emotions spiral out of control.

When the body and mind are in harmony, the individual feels safe and connected. From this balanced state, love and compassion arise naturally, not as lessons to be memorised but as genuine human qualities.

When that happens, kindness and respect will no longer need to be taught; they will simply become the natural way of life.

DR KUMAR SELUAKUMARAN

Faculty of Medicine

Universiti Malaya