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Gender Issues

, Volume 25, Issue 4, pp 267–288 | Cite as

Examining Sex Differences in the Use of Direct and Indirect Aggression

  • Sibylle Artz
  • Diana Nicholson
  • Douglas Magnuson
Original Article
First Online:

Abstract

Direct and indirect aggressive behaviors were studied using surveys and interviews of students in two public schools. The variables of “sex-of-aggressor” and “sex-of-target” were included. Claims in previous research that girls engage in far more indirect aggression than boys are not supported. Further, it was found that girls are more likely to target the opposite sex with direct aggression than boys. This suggests more gender fluidity in the use of aggression by girls and adds to a growing body of research that dispels the notion that direct and indirect aggression can be neatly sorted into male and female categories of behavior.

Keywords

Aggression Sex differences Direct aggression Indirect aggression Prevalence and preferences for forms of aggression Sex of target 
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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2008

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sibylle Artz
    • 1
  • Diana Nicholson
    • 1
  • Douglas Magnuson
    • 1
  1. 1.School of Child and Youth CareUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaCanada

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