Effects of Sex of Aggressor, Sex of Target, and Relationship on Evaluations of Physical Aggression

Abstract

Although most research suggests that males are more aggressive than females, studies of married and dating couples often find that females report exhibiting more violence. To disentangle the effects of sex of aggressor, sex of victim, and aggressor/victim relationship, subjects read two scenarios in which these factors were varied. Evaluations of the aggressor's behavior and of the justifiability of retaliation by the victim revealed that aggression from males and aggression toward females was viewed most negatively. Males considered aggression towards a sibling to be least acceptable, whereas females rated it as more acceptable than violence directed to friend, stranger, or spouse. These results suggest that evaluations of aggression depend not only on the aggressive act but also on social norms about who may aggress against whom.

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