Mock Aggressive Behavior in College Students

Several hypotheses have been generated about the functions of mock aggression, including its association with dominance. This paper describes a study that expanded this line of research by interviewing college students about a broad array of mock aggressive behaviors and their contexts, targets, benefits, and functions. The hypotheses were that: (1) mock aggression is a common, valued, form of social interaction; (2) there is a range of mock aggression across a variety of contexts and targets; (3) there are few consistent gender differences in mock aggression; (4) there would be positive reports regarding experiences with mock aggression; and (5) there would be reports of immediate- and long-term benefits of mock aggression. College students (N=109; 79 females, 30 males) were interviewed about the types, rates, targets, contexts, benefits, and functions of mock aggression. The results support the hypothesis that mock aggression is common and a positive part of the daily lives of late adolescents/young adults. There were no gender differences in the use of mock aggression, although it was related to decreased aggression in males but not females. Mock aggression has similar functions for them as for children. However, the young adults reported outcomes (e.g., sex, stress relief) not seen among children. The paper concludes that mock aggression is an important social behavior and that it varies across developmental contexts across the lifespan. (Contains 24 references and 1 table.) (JDM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document