The functions of aggression by male teenagers

A selectionist theory states that violence by males toward male peers origi nally served specific functions and violence to female peers served others. Differences in self-reported victimization and perpetration in studies of 1,452 high school students were hypothesized. In Study 1, male-to-male aggr ession was reported to be more prevalent than male-to-female aggression. Fo r male-to-male aggression, perpetrator reports agreed with or exceeded vict im reports, and victims were more often strangers than close friends. In co ntrast, for male-to-female aggression, there were consistently fewer report s from perpetrators than from victims, and victims were less often stranger s than girlfriends. Study 2 obtained similar findings for reported frequenc y, number of victims and perpetrators, and sexual aggression. Study 3 showe d that girls' aggression contrasted with that by boys with respect to intra - versus intersex aggression and perpetrator-victim agreement.