Normative beliefs as predictors of physical, non-physical and relational aggression among South African adolescents

Abstract

This study investigated the contribution of general normative beliefs about aggression and specific normative beliefs about retaliatory aggression in predicting physical, non-physical and relational aggression. Adolescents (N = 229) from a low-income community in South Africa completed the Normative Beliefs about Aggression Scale (NOBAGS) and the Aggression–Problem Behaviour Frequency Scale (A–PBFS). The results revealed significantly higher levels of all forms of aggression amongst boys as compared to girls. There were significant gender differences in belief-behaviour associations with more significant correlations found among girls. General beliefs endorsing aggression were positively correlated with physical aggression among girls. For girls, beliefs about the acceptability of verbal and physical retaliation were associated with relational and non-physical aggression. The current findings broaden the understanding of the predictors of aggressive behaviour among South African youth. They emphasise that both general beliefs about aggression and specific beliefs about retaliation predict actual aggressive behaviour. Significantly, the study emphasizes that there are gender differences in the prediction of aggressive behaviour in terms of normative beliefs.