Reactive and proactive aggression: Evidence of a two-factor model

This article examines the construct validity of reactive and proactive aggr ession, as assessed by the teacher-rating scale developed by K. A. Dodge an d J. D. Cole (1987). In Study 1 (n = 149 boys), confirmatory factor analyse s revealed that a 2-factor model, in which a substantial correlation was ob served between the 2 latent factors, presented a better fit than a single-f actor model. Study 2 (n = 193 boys) examined the relations presented by the 2 forms of aggression with peer status, leadership, social withdrawal, and victimization by peer. Reactive and proactive aggressive behaviors present ed distinct patterns of relations consistent with the theoretical definitio ns. The results of these studies suggest that the questionnaire measures 2 forms of aggressive behavior that, although being substantially related, ha ve a unique discriminant dimension.