AGGRESSIVE-BEHAVIOR OF CHILDREN AND ADOLE SCENTS FROM AN ATTRIBUTIONAL POINT-OF-VIEW

The Study was designed to test Weiner's and Graham's (Graham et al. 19 92) attributional theory of reactive (hostile) aggression. 41 aggressi ve and 44 nonaggressive 11-15-year-old boys were given hypothetical vi gnettes describing either an aggressive or a nonaggressive boy who des troyed their most preferred CD. Furthermore, the cause of the outcome seemed to be ambiguous and the provocator either gives an excuse or no t. The subjects rated the responsibility and blame of the provocator, intensity of their own feelings of anger, the likelihood that they wil l behave aggressively towards the provocator. Results showed that inde pendent of the provocators aggressiveness excuses lowered the responsi bility that was ascribed to the provocator, the feelings of anger he e licited and the likelihood of aggressive reactions he provoked. Furthe rmore, aggressive compared to nonaggressive victims rated the provocat or more responsible, their own feeling of anger more intensive and the likelihood of their own aggressive reactions higher, and aggressive t o nonaggressive provocators were given more responsibility, elicited m ore anger and were more likely to produce aggressive reactions. Furthe r data analysis using path-analytic techniques revealed results in lin e with Weiner's attributional theory of aggression (excuse --> respons ibility --> anger --> aggression). However, given aggressive provocato rs as well as aggressive victims or nonaggressive provocators as well as nonaggressive victims there was an additional direct path from excu se to anger and given nonaggressive provocators and aggressive victims there was one additional direct path from responsibility to aggressio n.