Är det rätt att använda våld? Belysning av gymnasieungdomars självkänsla, aggression och attityder till våldsrelaterat beteende.

Society´s demands on individuals has changed, which can make young people feel increasingly depressed and causing lower self-esteem. Lower self-esteem contributes to greater aggression. If an individual is violent or has a positive attitude towards violence, could indicate that the individual does not feel good. This study aimed to identify high school adolescents' self-esteem, aggression and attitudes towards violence and examine the relationship between the variables. We also examined whether there are differences from a gender perspective. In order to answer the purpose we have constructed a quantitative survey among Kalmar´s high school youth in grades three. The questionnaire consisted of two self-rating scales and four vignettes. The results were analyzed including social learning theory and cognitive dissonance theory. The study showed that Kalmar´s high school youth in general was fine but that the woman felt that they have lower self-esteem than men. Most of the young people saw themselves as not agressive, women´s and men´s average on the aggression scale was relatively smooth. Most of the young people had negative attitudes towards violence, but women had more negative attitudes towards violence than men. There were correlations between self-esteem and aggression and between aggression and attitudes towards violence. The study also showed that there were some differences between the sexes