A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Relationship Specificity of Aggressogenic Thought-Behavior Processes




AuthorsPeets K, Hodges EVE, Salmivalli C

PublisherAMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC

Publication year2011

JournalJournal of Personality and Social Psychology

Journal name in sourceJOURNAL OF PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Journal acronymJ PERS SOC PSYCHOL

Number in series2

Volume101

Issue2

First page 386

Last page400

Number of pages15

ISSN0022-3514

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1037/a0023662


Abstract
The purpose of this longitudinal study was to examine the relationship specificity of aggressogenic thought-behavior processes and to investigate the role of self-esteem in translating or inhibiting aggressogenic thought into aggression toward personally liked and disliked targets. Participants (186 Finnish boys and girls; 11-12 years old at Time 1) completed measures twice over a 1-year interval. We assessed children's attributions of hostility, relational goals, expectations of anger, and self-efficacy at Time 1 as well as aggression, at both time points, toward their previously identified liked and disliked peers. Our results mostly supported our hypothesis that cognitions guide behavior mainly within the relationship context. Moreover, high self-esteem potentiated cognition-behavior links toward children's own liked peer but inhibited the actualization of aggressogenic thought toward children's disliked peer. These findings highlight the importance of taking a Person X Situation approach when studying cognition-behavior processes.



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