Indirect Aggression And Sex Differences

Aggressive behaviour is universal in humans and animals, and can provide the aggressor with many biological advantages. These may include gaining access to resources, securing mates, and self-protection. Aggression may also provide social advantages for the aggressor, such as helping to achieve a higher social standing in peer groups. From an evolutionary perspective, some degree of aggression is critical to the survival and reproduction of a species.
Aggressive behaviour may be categorized as either direct or indirect. Direct aggression encompasses overt forms (e.g. physical aggression), whereas indirect aggression encompasses non-overt forms (e.g. social exclusion, manipulation, gossip). Research on sex differences in direct aggression is well documented, showing that males are more likely to aggress in this manner (Archer, 2004; Eagly & Steffen, 1986). This trend is consistent across the lifespan and across cultures (Lansford et al., 2012). Findings from such studies have contributed to the public perception that males are the more aggressive sex.
In contrast, research on sex differences in indirect aggression has not produced consistent results. First, sex differences in indirect aggression may be related to age. In childhood and early adolescence, studies have shown …show more content…
Participants completed the Indirect Aggression Scale (IAS), a self-report measure of indirect aggression developed by Forrest et al. (2005). Participants received a score on each of the three subscales of the IAS, and sex differences on each of the subscales were analyzed. It was hypothesized that there would be no difference between males and females on any of the three subscales of the IAS. The rationale for this hypothesis was that indirect aggression may be more favourable than direct aggression for both sexes, as it typically involves less personal risk to the