Relational aggression encompasses behaviour meant to hurt others by destroying their friendships and reputation (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). As peer relationships take on greater importance in early adolescence, relational aggression becomes more accepted and prevalent, yet perceived as equally or more harmful to its targets than physical aggression. The present study explored whether reactive and proactive subtypes of relational aggression were associated with an inability to empathize with others, regulate emotional states, and hold attitudes that it is acceptable to manipulate and harm others. Empathy, emotion regulation, and Machiavellianism’s roles in predicting reactive and proactive relational aggression was examined using Crick and Dodge’s (1994) reformulated Social Information-Processing Theory’s framework. Reactive relational aggression was expected to be associated with low empathy and high emotion dysreglation. Proactive relational aggression was expected to be predicted by high empathy, low emotion dysregulation, and high Machiavellianism. Low empathy was expected to predict overt aggression indices. One hundred and thirty-three children (73 females, 60 males, Mage = 12.84 years) in grades 6 through 8 from five schools in a public Ontario schoolboard were recruited. Caregivers completed a measure of their child’s emotions and behaviours (The Emotion Regulation Checklist; Shields & Cicchetti, 1995). Participating students completed four self-report measures assessing relational and overt aggression (Children’s Social Behaviour Scale – Self-Report; Crick & Grotpeter, 1995), proactive and reactive subtypes of aggression (Little, Jones, Henrich, & Hawley, 2003), empathy (Interpersonal Reactivity Index; Davis, 1980), and Machiavellianism (Kiddie Mach Scale; Christie & Geis, 1970) during one 60 minute session. Empathy, Machiavellianism, and emotion dysregulation scores were associated with total, reactive, and proactive relational aggression scores. When contrasting subtypes of aggression were controlled, however, these emotional and cognitive variables did not predict total and reactive relational aggression. There was a non-significant trend for higher levels of empathy to predict proactive relational aggression. Low empathy significantly predicted total and reactive overt aggression indices. Machiavellianism predicted reactive and proactive overt aggression. Emotion regulation was not a significant predictor in analyses. Results provide support for the role of Machiavellianism and empathy in relational aggression, particularly proactive or goal-oriented instances.

Research investigating aggressive behavior among youth is plentiful; however, the field contains mixed findings in terms of risk factors, correlates, sequelae, and treatment response, suggesting that individuals who exhibit aggressive behaviors are heterogeneous. The current project utilized a person-centered perspective to characterize youth who differ in frequency and quality of aggressive behaviors and a variable-centered approach to validate these classes. Specifically, the aims of the current study were (a) to use latent class analysis (LCA) to identify classes of youth that are characterized by qualitatively and quantitatively different types of aggressive behaviors, and (b) to examine the external validity of the identified aggression classes in a large, prospective sample. Participants included 648 children (M = 11.42 + .92 years; 76% Caucasian) assessed at five time points between the ages of 10 and 25 as part of a longitudinal project conducted through the Center for Education and Drug Abuse Research at the University of Pittsburgh. Analyses suggest five distinct aggression profiles in the sample; individuals exhibiting (1) primarily reactive aggression, (2) primarily proactive aggression (3) mixed reactive and proactive aggression, (4) loss of control (endorsement of a subset of reactive aggression items), and (5) low reactive and proactive aggression. Classes differed in their levels of executive functioning, peer processes, lack of guilt, internalizing symptoms, and provocation to aggression. Specifically, individuals who engaged in primarily proactive, primarily reactive, or mixed aggression exhibited significantly lower ECF than individuals in the low aggression class. Individuals who engaged in mixed aggression experienced greater peer rejection, associations with deviant peers, internalizing symptoms, and lack of guilt than individuals who exhibited low aggression at specific time points. Of note, individuals who engaged in primarily proactive aggression were more likely to experience internalizing symptoms than individuals who engaged in reactive or low aggression in late childhood and early adolescence and were more likely to report lack of guilt after misbehaving than members of other aggression classes across late childhood and early adulthood. Differences among classes in terms of these variables better characterize and validate the subgroups of aggressive youth identified in the latent class analysis. The study fills gaps in the literature by identifying concurrent and prospective correlates of aggression classes and decreasing the heterogeneity found in aggression-related research by considering the qualitative and quantitative ways in which individuals differ on aggression using a dimensional approach. These findings enhance understanding of risk processes related to aggression and inform interventions that focus specifically on ameliorating deficits displayed by youth with different aggression profiles. / Psychology

[Truncated abstract] The overall aim of the research reported in this thesis was to explore the viability and utility of the construct of psychopathy and aggression in children and adolescents. Specifically, by taking a developmentally informed approach it sought to develop new instrumentation which measured psychopathic-like-traits, and verbal proactive and reactive aggression in non-referred mainstream school children and adolescents. To achieve this, four separate yet interrelated studies were conducted. Study One comprised three phases relating to the development and validation of two new instruments. In Phase One the instruments currently used to measure psychopathy were reviewed and items relevant to young persons were selected for inclusion in a draft version of the new psychopathy screening instrument. Phase Two, which sought to further explore the construct of psychopathy in children and adolescents, comprised a series of interviews with school principals, deputy principals, psychologists, and education officers at the main juvenile detention centre in Perth, Western Australia. These interviews provided information relating to the behaviour and characteristics of children and adolescents who present with psychopathic-like-traits. As a consequence of the feedback from the Phase Two data, Phase Three reviewed the instrumentation currently used to measure aggression in children and adolescents. From this items were selected for possible inclusion in an aggression questionnaire. The data gathered over these three phases resulted in 117 psychopathy related items being generated for the new instrument, which were subsequently reduced to 56 when duplicated items were identified and the extant knowledge of the construct applied. The 56 items were retained in a draft version of the newly developed instrument, which was named the Child and Adolescent Psychopathy Screening Instrument (CAPSI). The Study One data revealed the instrumentation used to date provided few measures of physical and verbal aggression - a characteristic of psychopathic-like behaviour. Thus, a review of instrumentation together with the information from the interviews resulted in 63 aggression items being generated. ... Study Four utilised information from the CAPSI and the CASA in conjunction with in-depth interviews to generate case studies to further elucidate the characteristics of children and adolescents with psychopathic-like-traits and extreme aggression. Case studies were undertaken with seven male students ranging in age from 8 to 15 years who had been suspended from mainstream schools. All boys scored very highly on the new instruments. All presented with extreme aggression, with some exhibiting proactive or premeditated aggression combined with a superficially engaging personality, insincere charm, lack of remorse, and lack of empathy. The findings from all four research studies are discussed in the light of the literature reviewed and the aims of the research. Implications are then drawn for researchers and clinicians, and directions for further research are suggested.

No description available.

Identification of aggression in Junior Primary school learners often becomes a difficult task due to the lack of appropriate measuring instruments. The assessment instruments used presently are unable to identify the subtypes of aggression. In order to address this limitation in the field of aggression, the present investigation was undertaken. A literature study was done where the concept aggression was defined and the relationship and differences between the subtypes of aggression (physical, verbal, reactive and proactive aggression) were examined. The factors that relate to aggression, namely, biological, personality, environmental and social, parental influence, frustration and media influences were identified. A reliable measuring instrument was developed to identify the four main subtypes of aggression in junior primary learners. The results of the empirical investigation indicated that there were significant positive correlations between the subtypes of aggression. Gender and intellectual potential do not appear to have a significant bearing on childhood aggression. The educational implications of the findings are discussed and guidelines regarding treatment of childhood aggression are given for both educators and parents. / Education Studies / M.Ed.

Text in Afrikaans / The Gestalt Play Therapeutic approach is used as contextual frame in this research where-in music is applied as an aid for the aggressive emotions of the primary learner. Emotional and behavioral problems in children in primary and secondary schools and even in pre-primary schools, are assuming alarming proportions. From the holistic approach of the Gestalt theory, it has an influence on the development of areas such as the emotional, physical, cognitive and social in the phase of middle childhood. There is a lack of research findings on the effect of music during support to the aggressive primary learner within a Gestalt Play Therapeutic frame. The experimental single system design was used as research method as part of the quantitative investigation. The conclusion is that music was used successfully in the handling of rage and aggressive emotions in the group of child respondents within the context of the Gestalt approach. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

This study served to highlight the aggressive nature of learners in the Foundation Phase, namely of those who are between the ages of 5 to 6 years. The project is based on qualitative research, and the data were collected from three primary schools in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Interviews were conducted with two principals, three educators and three parents. Four learners were used in order to gather further information on the causes of the aggressive behaviour of learners. Their input assisted the researcher to understand the various discipline structures within the school and also, how parents and educators manage the aggressive behaviour of learners. The study sought to identify whether primary and secondary socialisation, and the influence of the media are related to learners behaving aggressively. The information collected confirmed that children model the behaviour of adults and of their peers. The principals and the educators were of the opinion that positive primary socialisation is of the utmost importance, as it lays the foundation for future socialisation. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)

Identification of aggression in Junior Primary school learners often becomes a difficult task due to the lack of appropriate measuring instruments. The assessment instruments used presently are unable to identify the subtypes of aggression. In order to address this limitation in the field of aggression, the present investigation was undertaken. A literature study was done where the concept aggression was defined and the relationship and differences between the subtypes of aggression (physical, verbal, reactive and proactive aggression) were examined. The factors that relate to aggression, namely, biological, personality, environmental and social, parental influence, frustration and media influences were identified. A reliable measuring instrument was developed to identify the four main subtypes of aggression in junior primary learners. The results of the empirical investigation indicated that there were significant positive correlations between the subtypes of aggression. Gender and intellectual potential do not appear to have a significant bearing on childhood aggression. The educational implications of the findings are discussed and guidelines regarding treatment of childhood aggression are given for both educators and parents. / Education Studies / M.Ed.

Text in Afrikaans / The Gestalt Play Therapeutic approach is used as contextual frame in this research where-in music is applied as an aid for the aggressive emotions of the primary learner. Emotional and behavioral problems in children in primary and secondary schools and even in pre-primary schools, are assuming alarming proportions. From the holistic approach of the Gestalt theory, it has an influence on the development of areas such as the emotional, physical, cognitive and social in the phase of middle childhood. There is a lack of research findings on the effect of music during support to the aggressive primary learner within a Gestalt Play Therapeutic frame. The experimental single system design was used as research method as part of the quantitative investigation. The conclusion is that music was used successfully in the handling of rage and aggressive emotions in the group of child respondents within the context of the Gestalt approach. / Social Work / M.Diac. (Play Therapy)

This study served to highlight the aggressive nature of learners in the Foundation Phase, namely of those who are between the ages of 5 to 6 years. The project is based on qualitative research, and the data were collected from three primary schools in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg. Interviews were conducted with two principals, three educators and three parents. Four learners were used in order to gather further information on the causes of the aggressive behaviour of learners. Their input assisted the researcher to understand the various discipline structures within the school and also, how parents and educators manage the aggressive behaviour of learners. The study sought to identify whether primary and secondary socialisation, and the influence of the media are related to learners behaving aggressively. The information collected confirmed that children model the behaviour of adults and of their peers. The principals and the educators were of the opinion that positive primary socialisation is of the utmost importance, as it lays the foundation for future socialisation. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Socio-Education)