How to Prevent Anti-Social Behavior

Not everyone is comfortable being in front of others, around crowds or in the company of strangers. However, a fine line exists between being apprehensive or shy and being anti-social. Once anti-social behavior has been established, the habit is hard to break. Therefore, preventing anti-social behavior is a process that should start with children when they are young, impressionable and open to the concept. Intervening with children that exhibit unusual shyness is one way to help prevent anti-social tendencies, which eventually can cause problems throughout life.

Things You'll Need

• Two notebooks
• Digital camera
• Voice recorder

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Instructions

• 1

  Observe the person and take notes early on. If you are dealing with a child that has shown tendencies towards being shy and aloof, take notes regarding situations which bring out the behavior. Observe the child for a period of a few weeks to detect triggers that cause a personality change. Review your notes and highlight issues that tend to cause the anti-social characteristics.

• 2

  Talk openly to the person about why he feels shy in certain situations. Ask questions about how being around others makes him feel. Make sure to allow the person to fully answer the question and avoid interrupting. Know that the feelings of not fitting in or being scared around strangers is a natural reaction. Explain how being around others is a life skill required throughout both childhood and adulthood.

• 3

  Have the child attend a social gathering with you,. Take along your notebook for notes and give the child a separate notebook or journal to express his feelings as well. Observe the child in the situation. Good options for this exercise include large family gatherings such as a wedding or birthday party where the child does not know everyone in attendance. Stay right beside the child as you enter the room or venue and talk the child through his fears. Introduce the child to people and have him smile, shake hands and clearly speak "Hello". Allow the child to take notes in his journal as needed to explain what he was thinking and feeling throughout the event.

• 4

  Talk about how the setting and surroundings made the child feel immediately following the event. Have the child review notes taken describing how he felt. Read from your own notebook to illustrate what you observed. For example, if you noticed the child was more scared meeting more than one person at a time, discuss this and offer ideas how to handle such situations.

• 5

  Continue taking the child to events and encourage him to do things involving other people. Continue to encourage activities that involve more than one other person. Suggest activities such as camps, counseling and classes to get the child accustomed to being around other people. Enroll him in a class or session dealing with anti-social behaviors if available or speak to the child's primary care provider regarding options to help get him through such issues.

• 6

  Have regular and routine talks with the child to let him vent and express his fears. Continue to engage in activities which are social in nature.