This thesis was designed to investigate differences in aggression between girls with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Forty girls with ADHD and 43 girls without ADHD aged 9- to 12- years and their mothers and teachers participated. A multiassessment methodology was used to investigate these differences, employing mothers' reports, teachers' reports, and a laboratory aggression analogue task (a computer game involving simulated girls in other rooms). The results indicated that mothers and teachers saw girls with ADHD as having much higher levels of all types of aggression assessed, including overt, relational, proactive, and reactive aggression, than girls in the control group. On the lab task, girls with ADHD used a strategy that involved more threatening and bragging comments, and social exclusions of their co-players. Expected differences on some of the lab task measures did not emerge. Also, according to mothers, teachers, and the results from the lab task, girls with ADHD were significantly less prosocial than girls in the control group. Where significant group differences had been found, follow-up tests generally indicated that girls with ADHD and comorbid oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD) were more aggressive than girls in the control group, with girls with ADHD but not ODD falling in between. In sum, these results indicate substantial cause for concern for the concurrent and future psychosocial well-being of girls with ADHD.

Tyrimo tikslas - nustatyti paauglių (10-11 klasių) menkavertiškumo jausmo ir agresyvaus elgesio sąsajas su tėvų taikomais auklėjimo stiliais. Tyrime dalyvavo 240 aukštesniųjų klasių mokinių (134 merginos ir 106 vaikinai). Tiriamųjų amžiaus vidurkis 17,27. Tyrimas buvo atliekamas Kauno rajono Babtų gimnazijoje ir Kaišiadorių Algirdo Brazausko vidurinėje mokykloje. Tyrimas atliktas taikant EMBU klausimyną (EMBU: Egna Minnen Betraffande Uppfostran, Arrindell, 1999; Arrindell et al., 1994), Lyginamojo menkavertiškumo jausmo indeksą (ang. Comparative Feeling of inferiority index. aut. Strano, Dixon, 1990), bei A. Buss ir A. Durkey metodiką (1957). Atlikus duomenų analizę nustatyta, kad menkavertiškumo jausmas ir agresyvus elgesys nėra susijęs su lytimi. Taip pat nenustatyta, kad paaugliai, kurie turi išreikštą menkavertiškumo jausmą pasižymi agresyviu elgesiu. Nustatyta, kad paaugliai vaikinai, kurie mamos auklėjimo stilių suvokia kaip atstūmimo ir perdėtos globos, pasižymi mažesniu menkavertiškumo jausmu. Merginos, kurios suvokia tėvų auklėjimo stilių kaip emocinės šilumos, turi labiau išreikštą menkavertiškumo jausmą. Vaikinai, pasižymintys mažesniu agresyviu elgesiu, yra linkę tėvo auklėjimo stilių suvokti kaip perdėtos globos. Paauglės merginos, kurios suvokia motinos auklėjantį stilių kaip atstumiantį ir perdėtos globos, pasižymi mažesniu agresyviu elgesiu. Paauglių merginų suvokiamas tėvo emocinės šilumos auklėjimo stilius, susijęs su didesniu agresyviu... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The aim of the thesis is to find a connection between the inferiority and aggressiveness of adolescents (forms 10-11) and the applied parenting styles. 240 students of senior forms (134 girls and 106 boys) took part in the research. The average age of the students under research is 17.27. The research was conducted at Kaunas Region Babtai Gymnasium and Kaišiadoriai Algirdas Brazauskas Middle School. The research was carried out by means of EMBU Questionnaire (EMBU: Egna Minnen Betraffande Uppfostran, Arrindell, 1999; Arrindell et al, 1994), Comparative Feeling of Inferiority Index, authors Strano, Dixon, 1990) and A. Buss - A. Durkee method (1957). It was established after the data analysis that the inferiority and aggressiveness are not connected with the sex. It was also found out that the adolescents with a pronounced inferiority are not marked by aggressiveness. It was established that with the youngsters boys who perceive their mothers’ style of rearing as parental rejection and overprotection have the less pronounced inferiority. The inferiority is more clearly pronounced with the girls, who take the parenting styles as emotional warmth. The boys marked by lesser aggressiveness are inclined to perceive their fathers’ style of rearing as overprotection. The girls perceiving their mothers’ style of rearing as parental rejection and overprotection are marked by lesser aggressiveness. The girls who take the style of rearing of their fathers as emotional warmth are marked by... [to full text]

The phenomenon of female teenage violence within the last decade has been receiving rapid social interest and concern. The present study is concerned with exploring causes for teenage girl violence. Specifically, this qualitative study seeks to explore and describe teenage girl violence from the experiences and perspectives of girls aged 16 to 19 years of age whom have been in the past arrested and/or incarcerated for violent crimes. Data was collected using a semi-structured interviewing format. Five teenaged girls having current or past involvement with the Child Welfare system were interviewed. Despite the study's limitations, findings indicated several variations on similar common themes. These themes are discussed using three main categories of findings: (1) entrance into the legal system, (2) social aspects and (3) cultural presence. The need for describing and understanding why teenage girls act out violently in the ways they do was evident from the perspective of the girls themselves.

Violence in schools is an everyday occurrence and, for the most part, it tends to be regarded as a male issue. There is little indication in media or research reports that female learners perpetrate violence in schools. Research suggests that school violence is caused by male teachers or learners, takes place amongst males and tends to be of a physical or sexual nature. There is, however, a less prominent body of international work, which has begun to explore female aggression and violence at schools. Thus far, there has been little comparable research in South Africa. The thesis is an exploratory study of female violence in schools. The subject is approached by examining the perceptions of male as well as female teachers in primary and secondary schools in Durban. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2004.

The general aim of the study was to determine the influence of entrepreneurial orientation on the perceived success of the pipeline gas company. This type of study has not been conducted previously for such a pipeline gas company and as such, a valuable contribution could be made to a more effective entrepreneurial orientation in the business environment. Two questionnaires were administered, which focused on entrepreneurial orientation and perceived success of business respectively. A response rate of 87.63% was obtained from a sample of 97 employees at management level in the pipeline gas company concerned. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between entrepreneurial orientation and business development as variable of business success. The data also revealed correlations among the dimensions of entrepreneurial orientation, some with significant differences for various demographic groups and their level of entrepreneurial skills. Limitations within the study were discussed and recommendations were made for future research. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

This study examines the self-report answers of 27 of the most highly aggressive students from 3 different school sites on lower Vancouver Island through the lens of Johnson and Johnson's (1998) Social Interdependence Theory, in order to understand the impact of competitive, individual and cooperative social conditions on adolescent decision-making about the use of violent and aggressive behaviour in schools. The data analysis in this study is based on a quantitative and qualitative mixed methods approach that is anchored in theories that examine the social conditions of decision-making and subsequent action with respect to moral questions. The study's findings suggest that we should shift our understanding of adolescents who engage in violent and aggressive behaviour, away from deficit-based models that portray such young people as somehow morally delayed and disengaged, or as flawed with respect to character development, and instead pursue an examination of the conditions promote positive moral experience through connectedness and collaboration in our quest to assist non-violent choices.

Significant research has investigated Jack Gibb’s model of defensive and supportive communication, but little has explored the influence of the type of talk -- defensive or supportive -- on perceptions of communication climate and the role that verbal aggressiveness may play in influencing both the types of talk and these perceptions. This thesis explored the relationship between defensive and supportive talk, verbal aggressiveness and communication climate using a mixed-method approach. Specifically, the Verbal Aggressiveness Scale was used to group participants for a dyadic problem solving exercise which generated conversational data that was analyzed qualitatively. Then, the Communication Climate Inventory was used to measure participants’ perceptions of the communication climate that emerged in their problem-solving dyad. The findings highlight factors that may influence the perception of communication climate. Examples of supportive talk that builds positive communication climates and limits the effects of verbal aggressiveness and examples of defensive talk that leads to negative communication climates are provided. This research demonstrates that language has an influence on communication climate through the words that shape the complex ways people perceive and understand each other and, interestingly, that the negative impact of defensive communication overrides the positive impact of supportive communication on the emergent communication climate.

Aggression occurs frequently on many psychiatric wards; its assessment and management are crucial components of inpatient care. Consequences to inpatient aggression are profound, impacting on staff and patients, ward milieu and regime, and mental health services in general. Despite considerable research, which has primarily focussed on the assessment of demographic and clinical characteristics of aggressive patients, the nature of the relationship between mental illness, inpatient treatment and aggression remains unclear. Inconsistent risk assessment practices, management strategies and treatment plans, often derived from idiosyncratic beliefs about the causes of aggression, follow. Approaches to the assessment of inpatient aggression have been categorised as structural, which emphasise form, or functional, which emphasise purpose. Studies of inpatient aggression have primarily utilized a structural approach. These studies have resulted in the identification of demographic, clinical and situational characteristics of high-risk patients and environments. Resource allocation and actuarial assessments of risk have been assisted by this research. Conversely, functional assessment approaches seek to clarify the factors responsible for the development, expression and maintenance of inpatient aggression by examining predisposing characteristics, in addition to the proximal antecedents and consequences of aggressive behaviours. While functional analysis has demonstrated efficacy in assessing and prescribing interventions for other problem behaviours, and has been regarded a legitimate assessment approach for anger management problems, psychiatric inpatient aggression has been relatively neglected by functional analysis. Against this background, four studies focussing on the assessment of predisposing characteristics, precipitants and consequences, and purposes of aggressive behaviour, were undertaken to assist in the development of a functional analysis of psychiatric inpatient aggression. All four studies were conducted within the Thomas Embling Hospital (TEH), a secure forensic psychiatric hospital in Melbourne, Australia. The first of three initial studies involved a retrospective review of Incident Forms relating to aggressive behaviours that occurred within the first year of the hospital?s operation. The second involved a comparison of prospective assessment of aggressive behaviours with retrospective review of Incident Forms. The third involved a review of Incident Forms across two forensic psychiatric hospitals, the Rosanna Forensic Psychiatric Centre, and the TEH, to allow for the study of environmental contributors to aggression. The fourth, and main study, focussed on the assessment of patients and aggressive incidents, using a framework emphasising purpose, which was assessed using a classification system designed and validated as part of this study. Demographic and clinical information in addition to social behaviour, history of aggression and substance use were collected on the 204 patients admitted to the hospital during 2002. One hundred and ten of these patients completed an additional assessment of psychotic symptoms in addition to a battery of psychological tests measuring anger expression and control, assertiveness, and impulsivity. During 2002, the year under review, there were 502 incidents of verbal aggression, physical aggression, and property damage recorded. Staff members who observed these incidents were interviewed, and files were reviewed to record the severity, type, direction and purpose of aggression. Following 71 aggressive behaviours patients also participated in the assessment of purpose. Results from this, and the three initial studies, reinforced the contribution to aggression of a number of individual characteristics, including a recent history of substance use, an entrenched history of aggression, a recent history of antisocial behaviour, and symptoms of psychosis, including thought disturbance, auditory hallucinations and conceptual disorganisation. Somewhat surprisingly, a number of other characteristics shown through previous research to have a relationship with aggression, including anger arousal and control, impulsivity, and assertiveness did not show a relationship with aggression. Further, and perhaps a consequence of the peculiar characteristics of some patients admitted to the TEH, older patients and females were more likely to be repeatedly aggressive, yet neither age nor gender differentiated aggressive from non-aggressive inpatients. In this study acts of inpatient aggression were usually precipitated by discernible events, or motivated by rational purposes. Rarely was aggression the consequence of a spontaneous manifestation of underlying psychopathology occurring in isolation from environmental precipitants. A number of proximal environmental factors, most particularly staff-patient interactions associated with treatment or maintenance of ward regime, that were considered provocative or that threatened status, were evident in incidents of aggression perpetrated against staff. The perception of provocation and the need to enhance status were common precipitants of aggression between patients. There was little evidence to suggest that aggression was used instrumentally to obtain tangible items, to reduce social isolation, or to observe the suffering of others in the absence of provocation. Results of these four studies have implications for the prediction and prevention of inpatient aggression, and for the treatment of aggressive inpatients. These are discussed, as are the limitations of this research and suggestions for further research. / thesis (BPsychology(Hons))--University of South Australia, 2004.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Education. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-85). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11769

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2007. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.