Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T05:45:25.229Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Role of Psychological Maturity in Direct and Indirect Aggressiveness in Spanish Adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2014

Fabia Morales-Vives ,
Elisa Camps ,
Urbano Lorenzo-Seva  and
Andreu Vigil-Colet
Fabia Morales-Vives*
Affiliation:
Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
Elisa Camps
Affiliation:
Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
Urbano Lorenzo-Seva
Affiliation:
Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
Andreu Vigil-Colet
Affiliation:
Research Center for Behavior Assessment, Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Fabia Morales Vives. Universitat Rovira i Virgili. Departament de Psicologia. Campus Sescelades. Carretera de Valls s/n. 43007. Tarragona (Spain). Phone: +34–977558086. Fax: +34–977558088. E-mail: fabia.morales@urv.cat
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Understanding which factors are related to different kinds of aggressive behaviors in adolescents might help to improve violence-prevention programs for schools and families. Although some studies show that adolescents who are less psychologically mature tend to display more behavioral problems, few studies have been performed on the relationship between aggressive behavior and psychological maturity in adolescence, and no studies have focused specifically on indirect aggression. For this reason, the current research tests the role of psychological maturity in direct and indirect aggressiveness in a sample of 193 Spanish adolescents (49% boys and 51% girls) between 14 and 18 years old (M = 16.1, SD = 1.18). The results show that psychological maturity is related to both kinds of aggressiveness. In fact, less mature adolescents tend to show higher levels of direct aggression (r = –.22, p < .01) and indirect aggression (r = –.44, p < .01). More specifically, the dimensions of psychological maturity most related to aggressiveness are self-reliance and identity: self-reliance is the main predictor of indirect aggression (p < .01) and identity is the main predictor of direct aggression (p < .01). Moreover, overall psychological maturity is more related to indirect aggression in men than in women (p < .05), so the increase in psychological maturity implies a greater decrease of indirect aggression in men.

Keywords

psychological maturityaggressionself-relianceidentityadolescence
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 17 , 2014 , E16
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adalbjarnardottir, S. (2002). Adolescent psychosocial maturity and alcohol use. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of longitudinal data. Adolescence, 37, 19–54.Google ScholarPubMed
Anguiano-Carrasco, C., & Vigil-Colet, A. (2011). Assessing indirect aggression in aggressors and targets: Spanish adaptation of the Indirect Aggression Scales. Psicothema, 23, 146–152.Google ScholarPubMed
Archer, J., & Côté, S. (2005). Sex differences in aggressive behavior: A developmental and evolutionary perspective. In Tremblay, R. E., Hartup, W. W., Archer, J., Tremblay, R. E., Hartup, W. W., & Archer, J. (Eds.), Developmental origins of aggression (pp. 425–443). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Buss, A. H., & Perry, M. (1992). The aggression questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 452–459. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.63.3.452 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Björkqvist, K. (1994). Sex differences in physical, verbal, and indirect aggression: A review of recent research. Sex Roles, 30, 177–188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF01420988 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Björkqvist, K., Lagerspetz, K. M., & Kaukiainen, A. (1992). Do girls manipulate and boys fight? Developmental trends in regard to direct and indirect aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 18, 117–127. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1098-2337(1992)18:2<117::AID-AB2480180205>3.0.CO;2-3 Google Scholar
Campbell, A. (2006). Sex differences in direct aggression: What are the psychological mediators? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 11, 237–264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2005.09.002 Google Scholar
Cangas, A. J., Gázquez, J. J., Pérez-Fuentes, M., Padilla, D., & Miras, F. (2007). Evaluación de la violencia escolar y su afectación personal en una muestra de estudiantes europeos [Assessment of school violence and its personal effect on a sample of European students]. Psicothema, 19, 114–119.Google Scholar
Card, N., Stucky, B., Sawalani, G., & Little, T. (2008). Direct and indirect aggression during childhood and adolescence: A meta-analytic review of gender differences, intercorrelations, and relations to maladjustment. Child Development, 79, 1185–1229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01184.x Google Scholar
Carlyle, K., & Steinman, K. (2007). Demographic differences in the prevalence, co-occurrence, and correlates of adolescent bullying at school. Journal of School Health, 77, 623–629. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2007.00242.x CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cauffman, E., & Steinberg, L. (2000). (Im)maturity of judgment in adolescence: Why adolescents may be less culpable than adults. Behavioral Sciences & The Law, 18, 741–760. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/bsl.416 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Condon, L., Morales-Vives, F., Ferrando, P., & Vigil-Colet, A. (2006). Sex differences in the full and reduced versions of the Aggression Questionnaire: A question of differential item functioning?. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 22, 92–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.22.2.92 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Crick, N. R. (1997). Engagement in gender normative versus nonnormative forms of aggression: Links to social–psychological adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 33, 610–617. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.33.4.610 Google Scholar
Dahlberg, L. L. (1998). Youth violence in the United States: Major trends, risk factors, and prevention approaches. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14, 259–272. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00009-9 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Del Barrio, C., Martín, E., Montero, I., Gutiérrez, H., & Fernández, I. (2003). La realidad del maltrato entre iguales en los centros de secundaria españoles [Peer victimization in Spanish secondary schools: The state of the art]. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 26, 25–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1174/02103700360536419 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dumas, T., Ellis, W., & Wolfe, D. (2012). Identity development as a buffer of adolescent risk behaviors in the context of peer group pressure and control. Journal of Adolescence, 35, 917–927. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2011.12.012 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galambos, N. L., & Tilton-Weaver, L. C. (2000). Adolescent’s psychosocial maturity, problem behavior, and subjective age: In search of the adultoid. Applied Developmental Science, 4, 178–192. http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/S1532480XADS0404_1 Google Scholar
Greenberger, E. (1984). Defining psychosocial maturity in adolescence. Advances in Child Behavioral Analysis & Therapy, 3, 1–37.Google Scholar
Greenberger, E., & Sørensen, A. B. (1973). Educating children for adulthood: A concept of psychosocial maturity. Baltimore, MD: Center for Social Organization of Schools.Google Scholar
Inglés, C. J., Martínez-Monteagudo, M. C., Delgado, B., Torregrosa, M. S., Redondo, J., Benavides, G., &... García-López, L. J. (2008). Prevalencia de la conducta agresiva, conducta prosocial y ansiedad social en una muestra de adolescentes Españoles: Un estudio comparativo [Prevalence of aggressive behavior, prosocial behavior, and social anxiety in a sample of Spanish adolescents: A comparative study]. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 31, 449–461. http://dx.doi.org/10.1174/021037008786140968 Google Scholar
Lagerspetz, K. J., & Björkqvist, K. (1994). Indirect aggression in boys and girls. In Huesmann, L. (Ed.), Aggressive behavior: Current perspectives (pp. 131–150). New York, NY: Plenum Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Monahan, K. C.; Steinberg, L.; Cauffman, E., & Mulvey, E. P. (2009). Trajectories of antisocial behavior and psychosocial maturity from adolescence to young adulthood. Developmental Psychology, 45, 1654–1668. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0015862 Google Scholar
Morales-Vives, F.; Camps, E., & Lorenzo-Seva, U. (2012). PSYMAS. Cuestionario de madurez psicológica [PSYMAS. Questionnaire of psychological maturity]. Madrid, Spain: Tea Ediciones.Google Scholar
Morales-Vives, F.; Camps, E., & Lorenzo-Seva, U. (2013). Development and validation of the Psychosocial Maturity Assessment Scale (PSYMAS). European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 29, 12–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000115 Google Scholar
Salmivalli, C., & Kaukiainen, A. (2004). ‘Female aggression’ revisited: Variable- and person-centered approaches to studying gender differences in different types of aggression. Aggressive Behavior, 30, 158–163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ab.20012 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanmartín, M., Carbonell, A., & Baños, C. (2011). Relaciones entre empatía, conducta prosocial, agresividad, autoeficacia y responsabilidad personal y social de los escolares [Relationships among empathy, prosocial behavior, aggressiveness, self-effi cacy and pupils’ personal and social responsibility]. Psicothema, 23, 13–19.Google Scholar
Toldos, M. (2005). Sex and age differences in self-estimated physical, verbal and indirect aggression in Spanish adolescents. Aggressive Behavior, 31, 13–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ab.20034 Google Scholar
Tomada, G., & Schneider, B. H. (1997). Relational aggression, gender, and peer acceptance: Invariance across culture, stability over time, and concordance among informants. Developmental Psychology, 33, 601–609. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037//0012-1649.33.4.601 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tremblay, R. E., & Nagin, D. S. (2005). The developmental origins of physical aggression in humans. In Tremblay, R. E., Hartup, W. W., Archer, J., Tremblay, R. E., Hartup, W. W., & Archer, J. (Eds.), Developmental origins of aggression (pp. 83–106). New York, NY: Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Vigil-Colet, A., Lorenzo-Seva, U., Codorniu-Raga, M. J., & Morales, F. (2005). Factor structure of the aggression questionnaire among different samples and languages. Aggressive Behavior. 31, 601–608. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ab.20097 Google Scholar
Vigil-Colet, A., Morales-Vives, F., & Tous, J. (2008). The relationships between functional and dysfunctional impulsivity and aggression across different samples. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 11, 480–487.Google Scholar
Wahl, K., & Metzner, C. (2012). Parental influences on the prevalence and development of child aggressiveness. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 21, 344–355. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10826-011-9484-x Google Scholar