In general terms, aggression is a forceful and violent action exhibited towards others. When working with individual’s, the operational definition of aggression is not a one size fits all definition. Aggression exhibited by individuals with developmental disabilities is often a learned behavior that achieves a desired outcome (Bronsan & Healy, 2011). The definition of aggression must be customized to the individual displaying the behavior. In the instance of physical aggression, for one individual the operational definition may be described as punching another person with a closed fist. Whereas the operational definition for another may be slapping another person with an open hand. Aggression can also be verbal and not physical in …show more content…
These relationships are our social connections to others. The operational definition for interpersonal relationship for this study will be defined as a long-term (one year or longer), close and meaningful relationships with others that enhance social connections to others. Since all relationships are not always long-term, in the instance of an individual diagnosed with an ID and high frequency of direct care staff turn-over, an individual with ID may experience a close and meaning relationship with direct care staff who only works with the individual for a short period of time. Therefore, a secondary definition of interpersonal relationship will include short-term (one year or less) close and meaningful relationships with others that enhance social connections to others. Interpersonal relationships with others are tied to health and overall well-being. Research suggests a positive correlation between well-being and social bonds as the most important foundation for emotional well-being and life satisfaction (Gable & Gosnell, 2013). Just as research suggest a positive relationship between well-being and social bonds, research also suggests that problems in the relationship can contribute to a variety of mental health disorders (Gable & Gosnell, 2013). The instruments used to measure for an increase in personal relationships with others will include observation, self-reporting from the individual on the weekly diary card, and data collection obtained by direct care staff. Re-testing for both reliability and validity will be difficult for future studies as the individual diagnosed with ID and team members will not be the same. Therefore, the team may have different interpretation of the information requested. Additionally, this study focus on human behavior and interactions with others which can not