Sex Differences In Aggression

Aggression has been seen through informal, causal observations as one of the most lethal effects on individuals and the society .This made it a key factor in the development of many human behavior theories; which in turn lead to numerous research through out the years. In light of this, Bernstein & Tavris (1999) stated that despite the important advances made in our understanding of aggressive behaviour, most of the knowledge was gained from research done only on male aggression (Crick & Dodge, 1994; Parke, 1992; Robins, 1986) [cited by Bernstein and Tavris (1999)]. Bernstein and Tavris concluded that this is the reason why there is the stereotype approach that females are non-aggressive. Reemphasising this argument, Buss (1961) [cited by Bjorkqvist (1994, pp.177)] stated “……..women are so seldom aggressive, that female aggression is not worth the trouble to study.” To put it differently as mother goose would say women are “sugar and spice and everything nice.”
From a biological perspective, aggression is highlighted as a necessity for …show more content…
Archer (2004) suggests that they are. Sexual Selection Theory and Social Role theory based on the evolution and social learning theory respectively; provide the basis for Archer’s (2004) meta-analytic review of “Sex Differences in Aggression in Real World-Settings.” Sexual Selection Theory (SST) [cited by Archer (2004)] explains the perceived gender difference in physical aggression as “a consequence of unequal parental investment leading to a greater male than female reproduction competition and, therefore, overt aggression.” (Archer 2004, p 3). As an evolutionary theory, emphasis is placed on early onset of behaviours; hence the Sexual Selection Theory stressed that sex differences in behaviour were seen from any early age. According to Baillargeon Tremblay, & Willms 2004 [cited in Archer (2004)] sex differences in aggression occur early in life, from approximately 2 years