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Responses to Scenarios That May Provoke Acts of Conflict and Aggression Among the General Public: An Exploratory Study

NCJ Number
239791
Journal
Journal of Interpersonal Violence Volume: 26 Issue: 8 Dated: May 2011 Pages: 1606-1627
Author(s)
Nathan C. Lowe; David C. May
Date Published
May 2012
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This study investigated interpersonal violence.
Abstract
The purpose of this article is to use empirical research and theory to investigate the context that may provoke individuals to engage in acts of conflict and aggression. A random sample of the general public from a midsouthern State was surveyed to explore this inquiry. Respondents were asked to indicate their level of reaction to a number of situations that often lead people to engage in conflict and/or aggression with other people. Several sociodemographic factors served as control variables in the study. The findings of the Pearson productmoment correlations suggest that respondents were more likely to report that they would respond more aggressively as the situations presented to them were perceived as being more physically threatening to them and/or their loved ones. Also, gender and age were the most significant predictors of engagement in acts of conflict and aggression in the multiple ordinal least squares regression analyses. Strengths and drawbacks of the study and direction of future research are also discussed. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.