Citation

Vermande MM, van den Oord EJCG, Goudena PP, Rispens J. Aggressive Behav. 2000; 26(1): 11-31.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, International Society for Research on Aggression, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In the developmental literature, indications of different structures or patterns of peer aggression can be found. Examples are a dominance structure and a central victim or "scapegoat" structure. The present study investigated (1) which of eight structural models best characterizes the prevailing structure in school classes of young children, (2) which variables affect the aggressor-victim relationship, and (3) whether physically vs, generally aggressive relationships have a different structure. A total of 1,090 children (aged 4 to 5 years) in 83 school classes were asked to nominate classmates who are aggressive toward them. Social network analyses showed a "combined central victim/aggressor model" to be the predominant pattern for both physical and general aggression. According to this model, a minority of children are only victims and a minority of children are only aggressors. Children who are aggressive toward weaker children may themselves be the victim of more aggressive peers as well. The model is further characterized by transitivity, few indirect relations, and relatively short distances between the children in the social network. In addition, the children involved in an aggressive relationship are typically dissimilar with respect to the degree of aggression. Although the model describes unilateral relations in particular, reciprocal relations also occur. Apart from dissimilarity in the degree of aggression, the children involved in an aggressive relationship are less similar with respect to sex and negative sociometric score than are arbitrary combinations of children. Age, positive sociometric score, sharing candy, and physical attractiveness do not affect aggressive relationships. By applying social network analysis, this study answers the recent call of several researchers to (1) concentrate on the relationship between aggressor and victim and (2) study this relationship from the perspective of the entire group (school class) rather than isolated dyads of children.