Boys will be boys? Empathy and the relationship between gender and agression

Why are boys more aggressive than girls? Could it be that boys lack the ability to empathise with others? The aim of this study was to investigate the significance of dispositional empathy (perspective taking, fantasy empathic concern, and personal distress) as a mediator in the effect of gender on aggression (physical and verbal aggression, anger and hostility) in adolescents. Cross sectional data was gathered via self-report method from 108 secondary students in Alice Springs. Male participants showed consistently lower scores in all four measured empathy dimensions, in the presence of consistently higher scores in all four measured components of aggression. Gender differences were the greatest in the areas of empathic concern and physical aggression, reaching statistical significance, which inferred substantial linking between gender, aggression and empathy. Regression analysis demonstrated empathic concern to be a significant partial mediator between gender and physical aggression. In light of this finding, interventions fostering dispositional empathic concern are recommended to improve adolescents\u27 social interactions, with potential positive side effects such as increased self-esteem, engagement with the community, increased secondary school retention rates and enhanced future employment oppurtunities