Journal of Psychology & Psychotherapy
Open Access

Abstract

Social Interaction Deficits: Difference in Pure and Co-Occurring Reactive and Proactive Aggression

Shun Kit Cheung*

Research on aggression has focused mainly on the dichotomy of proactive and reactive aggression, but not the cooccurring proactive and reactive aggression subtype, despite its prevalence. The present study investigated the differences between proactive-reactive, proactive and reactive aggression on forgiveness and empathy, and the mediating effect of empathy on aggression to forgiveness in different aggression subtypes. Participants were 1,359 elementary schoolchildren (825 males and 534 females, aged 6 to 11). Results from two one-way analyses of variance showed that proactive-reactive aggressors were the least forgiving and empathetic. Although reactive aggressors were more forgiving and empathetic than proactive aggressors, both aggressive groups were less forgiving and empathetic than non-aggressive students. Additionally, results from multiple regression analyses showed that the mediating effect of empathy on aggression to forgiveness existed in all aggression subtypes. This study contributes by extending research area to co-occurrence of reactive and proactive aggression and characteristics of those students.

Published Date: 2020-05-27; Received Date: 2020-05-11