a child's way of communicating his strong emotions which he is learning to handle

a child's way of expressing negative feelings (loneliness, frustration, sadness, etc)

a child's way of expressing themselves because they have not yet developed the skills to deal with their frustration

a natural way for a young child to experiment with feelings

an episode of extreme anger and frustration characterized by crying, screaming, and violent body motions, including throwing things, falling to the floor, and banging one's head, hands, and feet against the floor

a normal and expected response when something interferes with a young child's attempt to achieve independence or to master a skill

A tantrum is an emotional outburst wherein higher brain functions are unable to stop the emotional expression of the lower (emotional and physical) brain functions. It can be categorized by an irrational fit of crying, screaming, defiance, and a resistance to every attempt at pacification in which even physical control is lost. The person may not stand or sit on their own.