Should Social Aggression be Considered “Antisocial”?

Abstract

There is converging evidence that physical aggression and non-aggressive rule-breaking constitute meaningfully distinct, if somewhat overlapping, dimensions of antisocial behavior, with different developmental trajectories, demographic correlates, and etiologies. Social aggression can also be factor-analytically and demographically distinguished from physically aggressive and rule-breaking antisocial behavior. However, there is ongoing debate as to whether social aggression should also be considered "antisocial" in the way the term is commonly understood, given that socially aggressive behaviors are generally legal and nearly normative during adolescence. The current study sought to empirically evaluate the notion that social aggression constitutes a form of antisocial behavior that is separable from other forms of antisocial behavior. We thus conducted a preliminary study to examine whether social aggression was associated with other forms of antisocial behavior and a variety of correlates of antisocial behavior in a sample of 497 undergraduates. Analyses revealed that social aggression was independently associated with other measures of antisocial behavior, substance use and unethical behaviors, as well as the personality traits known to predict current and future antisocial behavior. These associations were particularly pronounced in women. Such findings are consistent with our hypothesis that social aggression constitutes a distinct form of antisocial behavior.

The Etiology of the Association Between Child Antisocial Behavior and Maternal Negativity Varies Across Aggressive and Non-Aggressive Rule-Breaking Forms of Antisocial Behavior

“…These results also add to the large body of literature supporting a distinction between aggressive and rule-breaking dimensions of antisocial behavior in children. For example, aggression is more strongly associated with negative emotion and affective dysfunction (Burt & Donnellan, 2008, 2009; Burt, 2012; Moffitt, 1993, 2003; Tackett, 2010; Verona, Patrick, & Lang, 2002) while rule-breaking is more strongly associated with impulsivity (Burt & Donnellan, 2008, 2009; Burt, Donnellan, & Tackett, 2012; Hopwood et al, 2009; Moffitt, 2003; Tackett, 2010). In addition, aggression is uniquely associated with executive dysfunction (Barker et al, 2007; Barker, Oliver, Viding, Salekin, & Maughan, 2011; Hancock, Tapscott, & Hoaken, 2010; Miura, 2009).…”

Deserve and diverge: Feeling entitled makes people more creative

“…Moreover, entitled women are more likely to endorse benevolent sexism, believing that they are different from men and should be treated in a special manner (Hammond, Sibley, & Overall, 2014). Furthermore, entitled individuals are more likely to break rules and make unethical decisions (Burt, Donnellan, & Tackett, 2012;Greenberger et al, 2008;Tamborski, Brown, & Chowning, 2012). They are also more likely to be unhappy with their current situation; for example, they report reduced job satisfaction (Harvey & Martinko, 2009), perceive that they are being treated poorly by others (Harvey, Harris, Gillis, & Martinko, 2014), and believe that their time is being wasted (O'Brien et al, 2011).…”

Norms for Five Parameters of Anger: How Do Incarcerated Adults Differ From the Community?

“…Although anger and aggression are two separate constructs, the former may serve as a precursor to the latter. Burt, Donnellan, and Tackett (2012) reported that aggression was associated with higher levels of anger among undergraduates; however, caution should be taken to interpret such findings in probabilistic rather than deterministic terms.…”