The current paper addresses the associations between video game content (i.e., physically aggressive, relationally aggressive, and prosocial) and physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior in two distinct developmental periods. The purpose of the paper is to test whether playing video games with a particular type of content influences behaviors over time, or whether individuals who have higher levels of physical aggression, relational aggression, or prosocial behavior prefer to play games with similar content. Two theories will be simultaneously examined and tested in order to determine the relative merit in using each in research examining the relationships between video game content and positive and negative behaviors. More specifically, this paper will address the General Aggression Model/General Learning Model (GAM/GLM) and the Uses and Gratification Theory. The GAM/GLM, at their core, predict that exposure to video game content will build a cognitive schema which will guide how an individual should behave when confronted with a later social encounter (Anderson & Bushman, 2002). Contrarily, Uses and Gratification would suggest that a person chooses to play video games with a particular type of content, and that video games should not influence behavior. Specifically, according to the theory, individuals should seek out video games in order to fulfill their inward feelings and motivations (e.g., an individual with aggressive tendencies would play games with more violent and aggressive content) (Katz, Blumler, & Gurevitch, 1973; Whiting & Williams, 2013). A careful analysis showed a significant relationship between each type of video game content and its' corresponding behavior among adolescents, which supports the assumptions of the GAM and GLM. There was no relationship between video game content and behavior among preschoolers. With the exception of relational aggression of physically aggressive content, there was no support for Uses and Gratification Theory, in that preschoolers' and adolescents' levels of physical aggression, relational aggression, and prosocial behavior were not related to the preference for video games with different types of content. The analysis adds significantly to the current literature by showing a relationship between video game content and behavior over a four year period.

The purpose of this dissertation is to extend General Strain Theory (GST) to examine prosocial, asocial, and antisocial behavior in response to bullying. In GST, Agnew (1992; 2001; 2013) asserted that negative emotions can lead to criminal or aggressive coping but there are a number of factors that increase or decrease the propensity to respond aggressively (Agnew, 1992; Richman & Leary, 2009). In this dissertation, I examine whether and how rejection (operationalized as bullying victimization) is associated with aggressive responding as opposed to prosocial (e.g., befriending others) or asocial (e.g., avoiding people and social events) responding. This dissertation consists of three studies testing theoretical variables of bullying victimization as well as behavioral responses to four types of bullying: physical, verbal, relational, and cyber. Study 1 of this dissertation examines risk and protective factors for types of bullying victimization. Study 2 applies GST to test the effect of social support, or the availability of alternative relationships (i.e., having others to count on or turn to for social support), on responses to four types of bullying. Study 3 tests the effect of power dynamics on responses to physical and relational bullying. In conducting this research, I hope to: 1) integrate interdisciplinary bodies of literature to examine risk and protective factors of bullying victimization and behavioral responses to bullying and 2) improve understanding of how these experiences are affected by the power dynamics involved in bullying. Overall, the results of this dissertation suggest that types of negative emotions and behavioral outcomes vary by type of bullying victimization. Cyber bullying was found to have more negative consequences than any other form of bullying. Across all four forms of bullying, social support was found to be associated with an increased likelihood of youth engaging in prosocial behavior. Implicit power, or the perception that one’s bully has a high social standing at school, significantly influenced responses based on the type of bullying. However, even when controlling for power dynamics, social support was still associated with increased prosocial behavior in response to bullying victimization. Theory and policy implications are discussed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the potentially unique roles that parental use of two psychological control dimensions, shame and disappointment, play in predicting children's relational and physical aggression. It was additionally of interest to investigate whether warm/involved parenting would moderate the effects of these forms of psychological control on both types of childhood aggression. Based on a review of literature, it was hypothesized that parental use of shame would positively predict aggression in children, whereas parental use of disappointment would not be significantly associated with childhood aggression. Additionally, it was hypothesized that warm, involved parenting would have varied interactions with shaming and disappointment. Specifically, it was expected that warmth and involvement would exacerbate the aversive affects of shaming (leading to more child relational aggression), but that warmth and involvement would enhance the effect of disappointment to curtail relationally aggressive behavior. The participants were 217 fourth grade children (100 boys, 117 girls) and their parents (184 fathers, 216 mothers) from two school districts in an urban, moderate-sized community in the Western United States. Separate regression models were conducted for pairs of psychologically controlling and positive parenting dimensions in order to test for the main effects of the variables and also potential interaction effects. Additionally, this study explored the interactions between warm/involved parenting and shame and disappointment as they affected childhood aggression. To a large extent, the hypotheses were confirmed. In line with expectations, parental use of shame was significantly and positively associated with both physical and relational aggression, whereas disappointment was not. Interestingly, mothers' use of shaming significantly predicted relational aggression in all models for both boys and girls, whereas physical aggression was predicted only twice, once in the mother-son dyad and once in the father-daughter dyad. Two forms of warmth and involvement emerged in exploratory factor analysis: expressive warmth and supportive involvement. These positive parenting dimensions demonstrated very few main effects and only one significant moderating effect, which was on the relationship between shame and physical aggression. Specifically, post hoc analysis showed that fathers' use of shaming significantly and positively predicted boys' physical aggression only when supportive involvement was low. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

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)

近年來校園暴力日趨嚴重，許多研究者對此問題欲深入探討及分析。學者Dodge & Coie(1987)提出自發式攻擊及反應式攻擊作為瞭解攻擊行為的向度，且理論成因跟社會適應的表現有所不同，然而國內缺乏針對攻擊類型的研究與中文攻擊行為評估量表。因此本研究試圖透過翻譯及驗證Little & Jones等人(2003)所發展之模型與攻擊行為評估量表，以期使國內引入攻擊類型分類的模型，並使評估少年攻擊行為時能夠更精準。 / 翻譯的攻擊行為評估量表，將攻擊行為依照攻擊形式與攻擊功能分成六個分量表，分別是：純粹的外顯攻擊、反應式外顯攻擊、工具式外顯攻擊、純粹的關係攻擊、反應式關係攻擊、工具式關係攻擊；因此本量表既能夠評估外顯與關係攻擊，亦能夠評估工具式與反應式攻擊。 / 研究者以361名國中學生作為受試者，以自陳問卷蒐集所需資訊，效度驗證除了以SEM進行模型適配度分析之外，另以人際互動、負向情緒、敵意歸因與結果預期作為效標變項，進行效標關連效度之考驗。研究結果顯示此中文攻擊行為評估量表具有良好的效度。 / 在效度驗證之外，本研究尚進一步討論攻擊形式與功能對於上述四個效標變項的解釋力，結果發現在工具性挑釁情境中，只有攻擊功能對效標具有顯著的解釋力；而在關係挑釁情境中，攻擊形式與功能均對效標有顯著解釋力。 / Because violence in the campus becomes more and more serious in recent years, many reserachers want to study and analyse this probem. Dodge & Coie(1987) found theoretical and social adaptive distinction by dividing aggression into proactive aggression and reactive aggression. However, there are few studies in Taiwan and there is no the Chinese aggressive scale which is divided aggression into proactive(instrumental) aggression and reactive aggression. This research attempts to use Little et al.’s (2003) Model and to translate their aggressive scale into Chinese. With Little et al.’s Model and Chinese aggressive scale , it will be more accurate in assessing adolescent aggressive behavior. / According to form and function, the translated aggressive scale divides aggression into six subscales, which including: pure overt aggression, instrumental overt aggression, reactive overt aggression, pure relational aggression, instrumental relational aggression, reactive relational aggression. The aggressive scale not only can assess overt and relational aggression, but also can assess instrumental and reactive aggression. / The 361 research subjects were junior high school students. Necessary information was collected by using self- rated questionnaire. In order to examine the validity of the aggressive scale, this research not only evaluated model fit with SEM but also examined criterion-related validity of aggressive scale and the criterion are interpersonal index, negative emotion, hostility, and outcome expectance. The results showed the aggressive scale have appropriate validity. / Besides testing validity, this research further discussed if the four criterion could be explained by the form and function of aggression .The results showed the criterions in the instrumental provocative situation can be explained only by the function of aggression. However, the criterions in the relational provocative situation can be explanted by both the form and function of aggression.

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)

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