Sex differences in aggression: does social representation mediate form of aggression?

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Gender Studies

Background:

• Traditional views often associate higher aggression with males.
• Previous research indicates females may exceed males in indirect aggression frequency.
• Sex differences exist in how aggression is perceived: expressive (loss of control) versus instrumental (control over others).

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate sex differences in various forms of aggression.
• To explore the relationship between aggression types and social representations of aggression.
• To examine if indirect expressive aggression aligns with expressive social representations.

Main Methods:

• 105 undergraduates completed questionnaires measuring direct, indirect instrumental, and indirect expressive aggression.
• A psychometric measure (Expagg) assessed social representations of aggression.
• Factor analysis was used to identify aggression scales.

Main Results:

• Women scored significantly higher than men on indirect expressive aggression.
• Women demonstrated a more expressive social representation of aggression compared to men.
• Partialling out social representation did not diminish the correlation between sex and indirect expressive aggression.

Conclusions:

• Indirect expressive aggression, characterized by behaviors like bitching and avoidance, is more prevalent in women.
• This form of aggression may not be perceived as intentional harm, thus differing from traditional aggression constructs.
• The findings suggest a complex interplay between gender, aggression expression, and social perception.