Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gender Differences in Aggression: The Role of Status and Personality in Competitive Interactions

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Southwest US undergraduates (78 female, 72 male) were tested in a laboratory aggressive behavior paradigm involving noise blasts participants could use against another (bogus) same-sex competitor in a point-earning task. Status of the competitor (low vs. high) and expectation to meet the competitor (meet vs. no meet) were experimentally manipulated. A significant gender × aggression proneness × status interaction indicated that aggression-prone men were more likely to aggress against a high status competitor, while aggression-prone women were more likely to aggress against a low status competitor. Interactions of narcissism and sensation seeking with gender and anticipated meeting indicated that men but not women high in these personality traits were more likely to aggress, but only towards competitors they anticipated meeting.

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

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Archer, J. (2000). Sex differences in aggression between heterosexual partners: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 126, 651–680.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Archer, J. (2004). Sex differences in aggression in real-world settings: A meta-analytic review. Review of General Psychology, 8, 291–322.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R., & Richardson, D. (1994). Human aggression (2nd ed.). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baumeister, R. F., Bushman, B. J., & Campbell, W. K. (2000). Self-esteem, narcissism, and aggression: Does violence result from low self-esteem or from threatened egotism? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 26–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benenson, J. F. (1999). Females’ desire for status cannot be measured using male definitions. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 203–252. Commentary to A. Campbell.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt, B. A., & Miller, N. (1996). Gender differences in aggression as a function of provocation: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 119, 422–447.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt, B. A., Talley, A., Benjamin, A. J., & Valentine, J. (2006). Personality and aggressive behavior under provoking and neutral conditions: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 132, 751–777.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bjorkqvist, K., Lagerspetz, M. J., & Kaukiainen, A. (1992). Do girls manipulate and boys fight? Developmental trends in regard to direct and indirect aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 18, 117–127.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, L. M. (1998). Raising their voices: The politics of girls’ anger. London: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bushman, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2002). Does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? Journal of Research in Personality, 36, 543–545.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bushman, B. J., Bonacci, A. M., van Dijk, M., & Baumeister, R. F. (2003). Narcissism, sexual refusal, and aggression: Testing a narcissistic reactance model of sexual coercion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84, 1027–1040.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M. (1988). From vigilance to violence: Tactics of mate retention. Ethology and Sociobiology, 9, 291–317.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Buss, D. M., Shackelford, T. K., Choe, J., Buunk, B. P., & Dijkstra, P. (2000). Distress about mating rivals. Personal Relationships, 7, 235–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buunk, B. P., & Dijkstra, P. (2005). A narrow waist versus broad shoulders: Sex and age differences in the jealousy-evoking characteristics of a rival’s body build. Personality and Individual Differences, 39, 379–389.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, A. (1999). Staying alive: Evolution, culture, and women’s intrasexual aggression. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 203–252.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cashdan, E. (1998). Are men more competitive than women? The British Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 213–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cashdan, E. (1999). How women compete. The Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 22, 203–252. Commentary to A. Campbell.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheong, J., & Nagoshi, C. T. (1998). Effects of sensation seeking, instruction set, and alcohol/placebo administration on aggressive behavior. Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.), 17, 81–86.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherek, D. (1981). Effects of smoking different doses of nicotine on human aggressive behavior. Psychopharmacology, 75, 339–345.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale: Erlbaum.

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  • Conway, M., Irannejad, S., & Giannopoulos, C. (2005). Status-based expectancies for aggression, with regard to gender differences in aggression in social psychological research. Aggressive Behavior, 31, 381–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crick, N. R., Werner, N. E., Cases, J. F., O’Brien, K. M., Nelson, D. A., Grotpeter, J. K., et al. (1998). Childhood aggression and gender: A new look at an old problem. In R. A. Dienstbier & D. Bernstein (Eds.), Gender and motivation, volume 45 of the Nebraska Symposium on Motivation (pp. 75–142). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1988). Homicide. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1994). Evolutionary psychology of male violence. In J. Archer (Ed.), Male violence. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deaux, K. K. (1971). Honking at the intersection: A replication and extension. The Journal of Social Psychology, 84(1), 159–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dijkstra, P., & Buunk, B. P. (1998). Jealousy as a function of rival characteristics: An evolutionary perspective. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 24, 1158–1166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dijkstra, P., & Buunk, B. P. (2002). Sex differences in the jealousy-evoking effect of rival characteristics. European Journal of Social Psychology, 32, 829–852.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doob, A. N., & Gross, A. E. (1968). Status of frustrator as an inhibitor of horn-honking responses. The Journal of Social Psychology, 76, 213–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H., & Steffen, V. J. (1986). Gender and aggressive behavior: A meta-analytic review of the social psychological literature. Psychological Bulletin, 100, 309–330.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, S. G., Pearson, P. R., Easting, G., & Allsopp, J. F. (1985). Age norms for impulsiveness, venturesomeness, and empathy in adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 613–619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giancola, P. R. (2003). Alcohol-related aggression in men and women: The influence of dispositional aggressivity. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 63, 696–708.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giancola, P. R., & Chermack, S. T. (1998). Construct validity of laboratory aggression paradigms: A response to Tedeschi and Quigley (1996). Aggression and Violent Behavior, 3, 237–253.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giancola, P. R., Godlaski, A. J., & Parrot, D. J. (2005). “So I Can’t Blame the Booze?”: Dispositional aggressivity negates the moderating effects of expectancies on alcohol-related aggression. Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 66, 815–824.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goossens, F. A., Olthof, T., & Dekker, P. H. (2006). New participant role scales: Comparison between various criteria for assigning roles and indications for their validity. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 343–357.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guiterres, S. E., Kenrick, D. T., & Partch, J. J. (1999). Beauty, dominance, and the mating game: Contrast effects in self-assessment reflect gender differences in mate selection. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25, 1126–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halderman, B. L., & Jackson, T. T. (1981). Naturalistic study of aggression: Aggressive stimuli and horn-honking: A replication. Psychological Reports, 45, 880–882.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoaken, P., & Pihl, R. (2000). The effects of alcohol intoxication on aggressive responses on men and women. Alcohol and Alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire), 35, 471–477.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hokanson, J. E. (1961). The effect of frustration and anxiety on over-aggression. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 62, 346–351.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindstrom, W. A., Jr., Lease, A. M., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2007). Peer- and self-rated correlates of a teacher-rated typology of child adjustment. Psychology in the Schools, 44, 579–599.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGarva, A. R., & Steiner, M. (2000). Provoked driver aggression and status: A field study. Transportation Research Part F, 3, 167–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raskin, R., & Terry, H. (1988). A principal-components analysis of the narcissistic personality inventory and further evidence of its construct validity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 890–902.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sadalla, E. K., Kenrick, D. T., & Vershure, B. (1987). Dominance and heterosexual attraction. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 730–738.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salmivalli, C., Lagerspetz, K., Bjorkqvist, K., Osterman, K., & Kaukialnen, A. (1996). Bullying as a group process: Participant roles and their relations to social status within the group. Aggressive Behavior, 22, 1–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • South, C. R., & Wood, J. (2006). Bullying in prisons: The importance of perceived social status, prisonization, and moral disengagement. Aggressive Behavior, 32, 490–501.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, S. (1967). Aggressive behavior and physiological arousal as a function of provocation and the tendency to inhibit aggression. Journal of Personality, 35, 297–310.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tedeschi, J. T., & Quigley, B. M. (1996). Limitations of laboratory paradigms for studying aggression. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 1, 163–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tedeschi, J. T., & Quigley, B. M. (2000). A further comment on the construct validity of laboratory aggression paradigms: a response to Giancola and Chermack. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 5, 127–136.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Trivers, R. L. (1972). Parental investment and sexual selection. In B. Campbell (Ed.), Sexual selection and the descent of man (pp. 136–179). Chicago: Aldine-Atherton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, C. W., Layton, J. F., & Simons, L. S. (1975). Naturalistic studies of aggressive behavior: Aggressive stimuli, victim visibility, and horn honking. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31, 1098–1107.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, S., & Crawford, C. B. (1995). The importance of mate attraction for intrasexual competition in men and women. Ethology and Sociobiology, 15, 5–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M., & Daly, M. (1985). Competitiveness, risk taking, and violence: The young male syndrome. Ethology and Sociobiology, 6, 59–73.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Box 871104, Tempe, AZ, 85287-1104, USA

    Heather K. Terrell, Eric D. Hill & Craig T. Nagoshi

Authors
  1. Heather K. Terrell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Eric D. Hill
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Craig T. Nagoshi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Craig T. Nagoshi.

Appendix

Appendix

Questions for Status Manipulation

Instructions: We would like you and your competitor to know a little something about each other before you begin the computer task. Please answer the following questions so that we can give this information to your competitor. You will also receive answers to the same questions from your competitor. You will have 3 min to answer these questions.

(High-status answers are all in caps; low-status answers are in italics.)

  1. 1.

    What three words would you use to describe yourself?

    • “AMBITIOUS, INDEPENDENT, OUTGOING”

    • “Laid back, shy, nice”

  2. 2.

    Do you hold, or have you held, any special positions related to extracurricular activities, i.e., president, treasurer, team captain, etc.?

    • “TEAM CAPTAIN FOR INTRAMURAL TENNIS TEAM, I WAS STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT MY SENIOR YEAR IN HIGH SCHOOL”

    • “not really”

  3. 3.

    If you work outside of school, do you hold any special positions, i.e., manager, trainer, key-holder, etc.?

    • “SHIFT MANAGER”

    • “I have a job but no special positions”

  4. 4.

    Please list any honors/awards you have received recently.

    • “DEAN’S LIST SCHOLARSHIP FOR LEADERSHIP”

    • “none really”

  5. 5.

    Do you consider yourself to be someone who likes to lead, or would you rather stay in the background?

    • “DEFINITELY LIKE TO LEAD”

    • “I’d rather stay in the background”

  6. 6.

    Do you consider yourself to be someone who likes to have control over your life, or do you just go with the flow?

    • “I REALLY LIKE TO BE IN CHARGE”

    • “Just go with the flow”

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Terrell, H.K., Hill, E.D. & Nagoshi, C.T. Gender Differences in Aggression: The Role of Status and Personality in Competitive Interactions. Sex Roles 59, 814–826 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9486-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9486-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation