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Abstract
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To investigate gender and ethnic differences in experiences of violence, 415 Black and White males and females were asked about some of their aggressive behaviors in the past. In their most aggressive encounters, males were more likely than females to have received and instigated physical violence and females to have experienced violence in a sexual context; same-sex aggression was more common than cross-sex violence. More males than females had urged or screamed at others to be more aggressive, with males more likely to incite other males and females to urge other females to be aggressive. Males were more likely than females to have last been angry with a male, and a number of sex differences were found in the behaviors exhibited when last angry. Although positive consequences of aggression did not differ significantly by sex, females were more likely to have experienced negative interpersonal effects of behaving aggressively and males to have suffered physical harm or legal troubles. Relatively few differences between Black and White subjects were found, but Black males were more likely than Whites to keep their anger to themselves and to get the target in trouble; White males were more likely to yell at the target and tell the target of their anger. White females were more likely than Blacks to get the target in trouble. In general, the results are consistent with sex role stereotypes and suggest that the experiences of aggression and responses to anger may be substantially different for males and females.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The purpose of the study by Harris was to investigate the extent to which violence should be considered a more serious concern for men, since men are more often reported to be the instigators and targets of aggression; or for women, as women are presumably less able to defend against aggression and are more often the victims of serious dating or domestic violence. Possible differences between black and white male and female subjects was also of interest.
METHODOLOGY:
This study was quasi-experimental. In order to investigate gender and ethnic differences in experiences of violence 415 black and white college student males and females having a median age of 19 (229 female; 187 male, of which 390 where white, 24 black, 1 Asian, and 1 Hispanic) were asked questions about some of their aggressive behaviors in the past.
Specifically, a first set of questions concerned the most aggressive behaviors that the subject had experienced and performed and the sex of the other person involved. It was predicted that males would report both receiving and being the target of more serious forms of aggression than females. A second set of questions pertained to the subject's inciting others to behave aggressively. It was predicted that males would more likely urge others to be more aggressive than would females. A third set of questions asked subjects to indicate their responses to the last time they were really angry, an emotion which was frequently followed by some form of aggressive behavior. It was predicted that males would likely exhibit aggression when angry, and females would be more likely to inhibit it. A final set of questions asked subjects to describe the best and worst things which had ever happened to them as a result of behaving aggressively. Males were expected to experience more physical injuries as a result of their aggressive behavior and report more trouble with the law than females as a consequence of their aggressive behavior. The investigation also compared question-set results to determine if there were any differences between black and white college students in their experiences of aggression.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
Males were more likely than females to have received and instigated physical violence. Females were more likely to have experienced violence in a sexual context, although same-sex aggression was more common than cross-sex violence. More males than females had urged or screamed at others to be more aggressive, with males more likely to incite other males and females more likely to urge other females to be aggressive. Males were more likely than females to have last been angry with a male, and a number of sex differences were found in the behaviors exhibited when last angry. Although positive consequences of aggression did not differ significantly by sex, females were more likely to have experienced negative interpersonal effects by behaving aggressively and males to have suffered physical harm or legal troubles. Relatively few differences between black and white subjects were found, but black males were more likely than whites to keep their anger to themselves and to get the target in trouble. White males were more likely to yell at the target and tell the target of their anger. White females were more likely than blacks to get the target in trouble. In general, the investigation confirmed results consistent with sex role stereotypes and suggested that the experiences of aggression and responses to anger may be significantly different for males and females.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
Despite the findings being consistent with previous research, the author believed any generalizations from the results must be drawn with caution. Since all subjects were students attending a specific Southern state university, the author noted it would be desirable to replicate the procedures with subjects varying in age, ethnicity, educational levels, and geographic locations.
(CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
KW - College Student Research
KW - Gender Differences
KW - Male Offender
KW - Male Violence
KW - Male Aggression
KW - Female Offender
KW - Female Violence
KW - Female Aggression
KW - Ethnic Differences
KW - Racial Differences
KW - Adult Female
KW - Adult Offender
KW - Adult Male
KW - Adult Aggression
KW - Adult Violence
KW - African American Adult
KW - African American Aggression
KW - African American Female
KW - African American Male
KW - African American Violence
KW - African American Offender
KW - Caucasian Offender
KW - Caucasian Adult
KW - Caucasian Aggression
KW - Caucasian Female
KW - Caucasian Male
KW - Caucasian Violence |