A model of peer aggression and victimization on the social spectrum: A relational perspective

Abstract

Peer aggression among children and youth has garnered significant attention in the fields of child development and developmental psychology, as well as psychology more generally. Given the inherently social nature of peer aggression, attention has also been paid to the social factors associated with aggression, bullying, and victimization. Yet, there remain conflicting findings regarding the social nature of aggression, as well as confusion in terminology and overlapping constructs. To address these issues in the field, this review introduces a model of aggression and victimization that integrates prior theory and empirical literature, and organizes aggressive interactions using a relational perspective. As illustrated in the model, four types of aggressive interaction are presented and discussed, based on explicitly examining how perpetrator and victim are relationally linked within an aggressive interaction: Bullying, Indiscriminate Aggression, Equal Aggression, and High-Status Aggression. This review and associated model represent critical theoretical advancements that integrate current knowledge regarding aggression across disciplines and provides a framework from which to understand aggression from a relational perspective.