Abstract:
This article provides a genealogical analysis of the inclusion of “child aggressiveness” and its variations in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) throughout its editions. We begin by assessing the relevance of the inclusion of this clinical sign in the diagnostic criteria, especially since 1980. We then analyze the clinical and political implications of this inclusion, particularly regarding the construction of a psychopathology of childhood and the social definition of norms of conduct. Finally, we analyse how the emphasis placed on the normalization of child aggression through normative discourses, in line with neoliberal demands for performance, contributes to an increase in the expression of aggression as a way of dealing with malaise and subjective suffering.
Keywords:
aggressiveness; child; DSM; diagnostic; distress