Social correlates of relational and overt aggression in boys and girls /
Aggression predicts peer rejection and negative social adjustment in children over time. Boys have been thought to exhibit more aggression than girls. Recently, relational aggression, a subtype of aggression, has been proposed. When the definition of aggression includes both relational and tradit...
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
1996.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=739653061&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | Aggression predicts peer rejection and negative social adjustment in children over time. Boys have been thought to exhibit more aggression than girls. Recently, relational aggression, a subtype of aggression, has been proposed. When the definition of aggression includes both relational and traditional (overt) types of aggression, peers identify similar numbers of boys and girls as aggressive. The present study was composed of two parts. The first part. examined the relationships between relational and overt aggression and peer-rated social correlates (e.g., peer liking, liked most, liked least, leadership, depression, narcissism, victimization, social preference, social impact) of 461 boys and 443 girls in second and third grade. The second part of this study examined teacher-identified correlates (e.g., internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders) of a subset of these children (82 boys and 30 girls). Results suggest that overt and relational aggression, although highly correlated, are separate and distinct types of aggression. Overall, peers perceived boys to exhibit more overt and relational aggression than girls. More boys exhibited both high levels of overt aggression and high levels of a combination of both overt and relational aggression. Although few girls exhibit high levels of overt aggression, nearly ten percent exhibited high levels of relational aggression. Overtly aggressive children, both boys and girls, were likely to be rejected by their peers. Relationally aggressive boys were most likely to be socially classified as average, whereas relationally aggressive girls were most likely to be rejected. Overt and relational aggression were positively related to negative peer-identified social correlates (e.g., Victimization, rejection, narcissism, liked least) and negatively related to positive social correlates (e.g., peer liking, like most, leadership). Overt and relational aggression were related to depression in girls, but not in boys. Evidence suggested that relational aggression provides additional information, beyond overt aggression, to our understanding of these social correlates and peer rejection. These findings were consistent with the relationship between relational and overt aggression and teacher-ratings of behavior disorders. Overt and relational aggression are significantly related to externalizing and internalizing disorders. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: School Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | xi, 146 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilms Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references: pages 113-133. |