Difficult behaviour is a reaction to something that is not right for the individual person and generally occurs when the person has a need that is not being met. The need does not have to be a physical one, but may be emotional or spiritual, such as the need for respect, love or happiness.

To prevent difficult behaviour, we need to change our focus from only looking for what’s wrong with the person physically to compassionately searching beyond for what the person’s unfulfilled needs might be.