Oppositional Defiant Disorder Defined
Under Construction
The definition of Oppositional Defiant Disorder from the American Psychiatric Association's diagnostic manual is reviewed further below, but I wanted first to give some of my impressions of what I regard to be Type 1 ODD. ODD is best viewed not as much as a behavior problem as a relationship problem; to be specific, it is about the relationship with authority figures.
My Definition
it is a problem with trusting authority
it is a problem between people
it is a problem with how anxiety is handled
One of the defining qualities of oppositional children and adolescents is that they are unsure of the benevolence of adult authority. They have a strong sense of justice and a powerful sensitivity to injustice. Although some adolescents are convinced that adults are evil (and tend to either avoid or use diplomacy to deal with it), the oppositional youth is unsure; he or she simultaneously asks for better parenting and teaching while simultaneously rejecting it. The challenge for the school and family (and, if present, the therapist) is to not only change behavior but to reestablish trust in authority.
When oppositional children and teenagers grow out of ODD, with or without the help of therapy, we see a coming to terms with authority, a development of the sense that the central adults in one's life are well intended and can be trusted. It becomes safe to give in to their boundaries.
The goal of therapy is not just just focused on changing the youth's behavior. The goal must additionally be to help the family and teachers to regain the trust of the child or adolescent. We must reestablish ourselves as benevolent authority figures, usually without a clear understanding of how we lost that status to begin with.
My Definition
it is a problem with trusting authority
it is a problem between people
it is a problem with how anxiety is handled
One of the defining qualities of oppositional children and adolescents is that they are unsure of the benevolence of adult authority. They have a strong sense of justice and a powerful sensitivity to injustice. Although some adolescents are convinced that adults are evil (and tend to either avoid or use diplomacy to deal with it), the oppositional youth is unsure; he or she simultaneously asks for better parenting and teaching while simultaneously rejecting it. The challenge for the school and family (and, if present, the therapist) is to not only change behavior but to reestablish trust in authority.
When oppositional children and teenagers grow out of ODD, with or without the help of therapy, we see a coming to terms with authority, a development of the sense that the central adults in one's life are well intended and can be trusted. It becomes safe to give in to their boundaries.
The goal of therapy is not just just focused on changing the youth's behavior. The goal must additionally be to help the family and teachers to regain the trust of the child or adolescent. We must reestablish ourselves as benevolent authority figures, usually without a clear understanding of how we lost that status to begin with.
