In each of these stages there are key violence-related tasks. School-based preventive interventions are strategically beneficial. In each stage in the school years, there are key developmental tasks to be mastered.
School provides an important environment for overall developmental success.
Early childhood is increasingly recognized as a key stage in the development of aggressive violent behaviors. The development of self-regulation appears to be important during the preschool years. It is also causally linked to other processes that lead to aggressive-violent behavior. During middle childhood, the key tasks include the development of children's normative beliefs about aggression and the development of children's interpersonal negotiation skills. A key task of early adolescence is the development of a stable peer group.