Citation

Swett B, Marcus RF, Reio TG. Pers. Individ. Dif. 2005; 38(4): 953-962.

Affiliation

Departments of Neuroscience and Cognitive Science and of Human Development, University of Maryland, College Park, MD; College of Education and Human Development, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.paid.2004.09.011

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The aims of the present study were threefold: (1) to validate a new construct, "fight-seekers"--persons that initiate violence for neurobiological self-calming, (2) to explore differences in risk-taking and use of prevention practices in fight-seekers, and (3) to examine the influence of alcohol and peer influences on fight-seeking behavior. The sample consisted of 451 college students, with 35 being identified as fight-seekers. The fight-seekers were predominantly male, tended to fight when drunk, with friends who seek out fights, and with others who were drunk; usually in public settings with strangers, and often for the purpose of "self-calming." Fight-seekers fought three times as frequently as non-fight-seekers as well. Overall, the present findings provide support for the validity of the fight-seeking construct, as the fight-seeker group displayed a distinct pattern of violent behavior, in fighting frequency and intensity, as well as in the lack of prevention technique usage.