Relational aggressive behaviour: the contributions of status stress and status goals |
| |
| Authors: | Tove Flack |
| |
| Institution: | Norwegian Centre for Learning Environment and Behavioural Research in Education, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway |
| |
| Abstract: | Relational aggression is a destructive behaviour that increases during adolescence. In order to develop effective interventions aimed to combat relational aggression, there is an urgent need to study what motivates this behaviour. This study investigates the association between status stress, status goals, and relational aggressive behaviour in a sample of 345 adolescents from Norwegian secondary schools. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used as the statistical tool. The results showed that status goals were associated with both self- and peer-reported relational aggression. Status stress contributed significantly to explaining variation in self-reported relational aggression but not in peer-reported relational aggression. The possibility that self- and peer report may partly identify different relational aggressive peers with different characteristics is discussed. No significant gender differences emerged in the associations studied. |
| |
| Keywords: | Relational aggression status goals status stress |
|
|
