Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
Men's Aggression Toward Women: A 10-Year Panel Study
Hyoun K Kim1, Heidemarie K Laurent, Deborah M Capaldi
1Drs. Kim, Capaldi & Feingold, Oregon Social Learning Center, 10 Shelton McMurphey Blvd., Eugene, OR 97401.
Journal of Marriage and the Family
|January 6, 2009
Summary
Men's aggression toward partners decreased over 10 years. Women's antisocial behavior and depression predicted these changes, highlighting the importance of dyadic social processes in understanding male partner aggression.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sociology
- Criminology
Background:
- Understanding the long-term trajectory of male partner aggression is crucial for developing effective interventions.
- Previous research has often focused on cross-sectional data, limiting insights into developmental changes.
- Community samples from at-risk backgrounds provide valuable data on factors influencing aggression in diverse populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the longitudinal course of men's physical and psychological aggression toward a partner over a decade.
- To identify predictors of changes in men's aggression within a couple's dyadic relationship.
- To explore the role of women's behaviors and symptoms in influencing men's aggression over time.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design tracking 194 young couples from at-risk backgrounds over 10 years.
- Assessment of men's physical and psychological aggression toward their partner.
- Measurement of women's antisocial behavior and depressive symptoms as potential predictors.
Main Results:
- Men's physical and psychological aggression toward their partners showed a significant decrease over the 10-year study period.
- Women's antisocial behavior was found to predict increases in men's aggression.
- Women's depressive symptoms also predicted changes in men's aggression over time.
Conclusions:
- Men's aggression toward partners is not static and can decrease over time.
- Dyadic interactions, specifically women's antisocial behavior and depressive symptoms, play a significant role in shaping men's aggression.
- Future research should continue to explore intrapersonal and interpersonal factors within couples to fully understand and address male partner aggression.
Related Concept Videos
01:47Aggression
Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...
01:23Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
02:12Relationship Formation
What do you think is the single most influential factor in determining with whom you become friends and whom you form romantic relationships? You might be surprised to learn that the answer is simple: the people with whom you have the most contact. This most important factor is proximity. You are more likely to be friends with people you have regular contact with. For example, there are decades of research that shows that you are more likely to become friends with people who live in your dorm,...
02:04Bullying
A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is bullying.
02:16Surveys
Often, psychologists develop surveys as a means of gathering data. Surveys are lists of questions to be answered by research participants, and can be delivered as paper-and-pencil questionnaires, administered electronically, or conducted verbally. Generally, the survey itself can be completed in a short time, and the ease of administering a survey makes it easy to collect data from a large number of people.
01:28Conduct Disorder
Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...