Aggression

Types of aggression

• hostile: primary goal of harming

• instrumental: primary goal of gaining access to resources

• retaliatory: in response to perceived provocations

• relational: aimed at damaging victim’s self-esteem, friendships, or status

development in early childhood

• preschoolers: display mainly intrumental aggression

• 2-3 yrs: unfocused tantrums gradually replaced by physical aggression

• 3-5 yrs: physical aggression gradually declines, replaced by verbal aggression

• gender differences: 2.5-3 year-old boys are more aggressive than girls

Development in middle childhood

• physical/verbal aggression decline with learning conflict resolution

• hostile/retaliatory aggression increase slightly

• gender: boys display more overt aggression, while girls display more relational aggression

Development in adolescence

• incidence of overt aggression decreases from middle childhood through adolescence - however, aggression may be channelled into other forms

• juvenile arrests for assault and serious violence increases in late adolescence and early adulthood

• gender: relational aggression in girls becomes more subtle/malicious; boys channel anger into theft, substance abuse, and sexual misconduct

Factors of development

• biology: hormones, lack of gender differences in young children

• socialisations: rough parent play with boys, toys that are given to boys vs girls

• individual difference: cognitive differences, low moral reasoning, lack of empathy, attributions of motives