Motivations related with reactive and proactive aggression in adolescents

This study assessed the relationship between motivations and reactive/proactive aggression. The current study assessed a sample of 310 males and 330 females with ages ranging between 12 and 17 years old (mean age = 15.2; SD =1.4). The Reactive/ Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ; Andreu, Peña & Ramirez, 2009) and a scale on aggressive motivations against other people were administered. Results showed that reactive aggression was significantly related to "defending another person" and "being insulted", whereas "looking for a fight" and "for a boy/girl" showed the highest correlation with reactive aggression. According to these results, the authors emphasize the importance of considering different motivations as key factors for understanding the role of aggression in adolescents.