Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Development of Aggression and Violence in Adolescence

  • 841 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter has two main goals. First, it lays out the meta-theoretical model used throughout the book. The model of risk factors for aggression and violence in adolescence includes developmental, personality, and situational risk factors. Developmental risk factors are those influences in an individual’s past which increase the likelihood of aggression or violence in adolescence. Developmental influences include, for example, age, gender, and family influences. Personality risk factors are those traits which simultaneously increase the likelihood of aggression or violence. Examples of personality risk factors are tendencies to anger and sensation seeking. Situational risk factors are contemporaneous objective or subjective features of the situation or setting which increase the probability of aggression or violence. Examples of situational risk factors are provocation and substance abuse.

The second main goal of this chapter is to define aggression and violence and provide examples of the instruments used to measure them. Definitions are important so that the focus remains on naturally occurring behaviors in the lives of adolescents and in order that distinctions can be made, in later chapters, regarding unique developmental trends or trajectories for both constructs. The measurement of aggression and violence has typically been achieved through self-reporting and other ratings, examples of which are the Aggression Questionnaire and eight survey items from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey. Issues of reliability and validity of measures are discussed.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 3rd edition-revised (DSM III-R). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychological Association. (2013). Gun violence: Prediction, prevention, and policy: APA panel of experts report. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002). Human aggression. Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 27–51.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brener, N., Kann, L., McManus, T., Kinchen, S. A., Sundberg, E. C., & Ross, J. G. (2002). Reliability of the 1999 youth risk behavior survey questionnaire. Journal of Adolescent Health, 31, 336–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brener, N. D., Grunbaum, J., Kann, L., McManus, M., & Ross, J. (2004). Assessing health risk behaviors among adolescents: The effect of question wording and appeals for honesty. Journal of Adolescent Health, 35, 91–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bureau of Justice Statistics. (2000). National crime victimization survey. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2001). Is it time to pull the plug on the hostile versus instrumental aggression dichotomy? Psychological Review, 108, 273–279.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H. (1961). The psychology of aggression. New York: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H., & Durkee, A. (1957). An inventory for assessing different kinds of hostility. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 21, 343–348.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. H., & Warren, W. L. (2000). The aggression questionnaire (AQ). Los Angeles, CA: Western Psychological Services.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, A. J., & Perry, M. (1992). The aggression questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 452–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Card, N. A., & Little, T. D. (2007). The adaptivity of instrumental and reactive aggression. In P. H. Hawley, T. D. Little, & P. C. Rodin (Eds.), Aggression and adaptation: The bright side to bad behavior (pp. 107–134). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Card, N. A., Stucky, B. D., Sawalani, G. M., & Little, T. D. (2008). Direct and indirect aggression during childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic review of gender differences, intercorrelations, and relations to maladjustment. Child Development, 79(5), 1185–1229.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cillessen, A. H., & Mayeux, L. (2004). From censure to reinforcement: Developmental changes in the association between aggression and social status. Child Development, 75(1), 147–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clemans, K. H. (2010). Explaining the discrepancies between self and peer reports of aggression in adolescence. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coggeshall, M. B., & Kingery, P. M. (2001). Cross-survey analysis of school violence and disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 38, 107–116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K. (1998). Aggression and antisocial behavior. In W. Damon & N. Eisenberg (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, volume 3: Social, emotional, and personality development (pp. 779–862). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, P. R. (1990). Personality disorders and the five-factor model. Journal of Personality Disorders, 4, 362–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeWall, C., Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2011). The general aggression model: Theoretical extensions to violence. Psychology of Violence, 1(3), 245–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dodge, K. A., Coie, J. D., & Lynam, D. (2006). Aggression and antisocial behavior in youth. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology, volume 6: Social, emotional, and personality development (pp. 719–788). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egan, T. (2015). Guns and the two Americas. New York Times, July 31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisner, M. & Malti, T. (2015). Aggressive and violent behavior. In M. E. Lamb (Vol. Ed.) & R. M. Lerner (Series Ed.), Handbook of child psychology and developmental science, Vol. 3: Social, emotional and personality development (7th ed., pp. 795–884). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farrington, D. P., Loeber, R., & Jolliffe, D. (2008). The age-crime curve in reported offending. In R. Loeber, D. P. Farrington, M. Stouthamer-Loeber, & H. R. White (Eds.), Violence and serious theft: Development and prediction from childhood to adulthood (pp. 77–104). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frick, P. J., Lahey, B. B., Loeber, R., Tannenbaum, L., Van Horn, Y., Christ, M. A. G., et al. (1993). Oppositional defiant disorder and conduct disorder: A meta-analytic review of factor analyses and cross-validation in a clinic sample. Clinical Psychology Review, 13, 319–340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Graham, K., Bernards, S., Osgood, D. W., Parks, M., Abbey, A., Felson, R. B., et al. (2013). Apparent motives for aggression in the social context of the bar. Psychology of Violence, 3(3), 218–232.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grych, J., & Hamby, S. (2014). Advancing the measurement of violence: Challenges and opportunities. Psychology of Violence, 4(4), 363–368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gun Violence Archive. (2016). Retrieved from http://gunviolencearchive.org?

    Google Scholar 

  • Hindelang, M. J., Hirschi, T., & Weis, J. G. (1981). Measuring delinquency. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, L. D., Bachman, J. F., & O’Malley, P. M. (2000). Monitoring the future: A continuing study of American youth (12th-grade survey), 1998 [Electronic data set]. Ann Arbor, MI: Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan [The Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), Producer and Distributor]

    Google Scholar 

  • Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Shanklin, S. L., Flint, K. H., Kawkins, J., Harris, W. A., et al. (2014). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2013. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 63(26), 576–579.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kann, L., Warren, C., Harris, W., Collins, J., Douglas, K., Collins, M., et al. (1995). Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 1993. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 446(SS-1), 1–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lipsey, M., & Derzon, J. (1999). Predictors of violent or serious delinquency in adolescence and early adulthood. In R. Loeber & D. Farrington (Eds.), Serious and violent juvenile offender (pp. 86–105). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., & Hay, D. F. (1993). Developmental approaches to aggression and conduct problems. In M. Rutter & D. F. Hay (Eds.), Development through life: A handbook for clinicians. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific.

    Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., & Hay, D. F. (1997). Key issues in the development of aggression and violence from childhood to early adulthood. Annual Review of Psychology, 48, 371–410.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loeber, R., & Stouthamer-Loeber, M. (1998). Development of juvenile aggression and violence: Some common misconceptions and controversies. American Psychologist, 53, 242–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, R. F. (2009). Cross-sectional study of violence in emerging adulthood. Aggressive Behavior, 35(2), 188–202.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, R. F. (2015a). Substance use and violence in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Science in the Courtroom, 1(5), 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marcus, R. F. (2015b). Weapon-related violence in adolescence and emerging adulthood. Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, October 19, 2015.

    Google Scholar 

  • Megargee, E. I. (2009). Understanding and assessing aggression and violence. In J. Butcher (Ed.), Oxford handbook of personality assessment (pp. 542–566). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mercado-Crespo, M., & Mbah, A. K. (2013). Race and ethnicity, substance use, and physical aggression among U.S. high school students. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(7), 1367–1384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Michie, C., & Cooke, D. J. (2006). The structure of violent behavior: A hierarchical model. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 33(6), 706–737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moffitt, T. (1993). Adolescence-limited and life-course-persistent antisocial behavior: A developmental taxonomy. Psychological Review, 100, 701–774.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ollendich, T. H., Jarrett, M. A., Wolff, J. C., & Scarpa, A. (2009). Reactive and proactive aggression: Cross-informant agreement and the clinical utility of different informants. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 31(2), 51–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pakaslahti, L., & Keltikangas-Jarvinen, L. (2000). Comparison of peer, teacher, and self-assessments on adolescent direct and indirect aggression. Educational Psychology, 20, 177–190.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paschall, M. J., Ringwalt, C. L., & Gitelman, A. M. (2010). The validity of state survey estimates of binge drinking. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 39(2), 179–183.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pellegrini, A. D., & Bartini, M. (2000). A longitudinal study of bullying victimization, and peer affiliation during the transition from primary school to middle school. American Educational Research Journal, 37(3), 699–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinker, S. (2011). The better angels of our nature. New York: Viking.

    Google Scholar 

  • Polman, H., Orobio de Castro, B., Koops, W., van Boxtel, H. W., & Merk, W. W. (2007). A meta-analysis of the distinction between reactive and proactive aggression in children and adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 35(4), 522–535.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richardson, E. G., & Hemenway, D. (2011). Homicide, suicide, and unintentional firearm fatality: Comparing the United States with other high-income countries. Journal of Trauma, 70(1), 238–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The revised conflict tactics scale (CTS2): Developmental and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaillancourt, T., Brittain, H., Bennett, H., Arnocky, S., McDougall, P., Hymel, S., et al. (2010). Places to avoid: Population-based study of student reports of unsafe and high bullying areas at school. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25(1), 40–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • VandenBos, G. R. (2007). APA dictionary of psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vitaro, F., Brendgen, M., & Barker, E. D. (2006). Subtypes of aggressive behavior: A developmental perspective. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 30(1), 12–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, R., Bates, H., & Buyske, S. (2001). Adolescent-limited versus persistent delinquency: Extending Moffitt’s hypothesis into adulthood. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 110, 600–609.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xie, H., Cairns, R. B., & Cairns, B. D. (2002). The development of social aggression and physical aggression: A narrative analysis of interpersonal conflicts. Aggressive Behavior, 28(5), 341–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA

    Robert F. Marcus

Authors
  1. Robert F. Marcus
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 2017 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Marcus, R.F. (2017). Introduction. In: The Development of Aggression and Violence in Adolescence. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54563-3_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54563-3_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, New York

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-137-54562-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-137-54563-3

  • eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation