The relationship between aggression in children and locus of control beliefs

Gender differences are evident in the etiology and maintenance of aggressive behavior (which is on the increase for both male and female youths), but the explanatory models that have been proposed, including social learning theory and information processing models, are more appropriate for boys than for girls. In an attempt to elucidate processes underlying aggression, particularly for girls, the authors explored locus of control as a cognitive variable possibly related to aggressive behavior. The relationships between teacher-reported aggression and 3 types of locus of control (internal, powerful other, and unknown) for success and failure experiences were investigated. For girls, aggressive behavior was positively related to internal and unknown locus of control. In contrast, boys' aggressive behavior was unrelated to internal locus of control beliefs and negatively related to external locus of control beliefs. Possible explanatory mechanisms for the relationship between locus of control beliefs and aggression are discussed. The present study contributes to the understanding of aggression in girls and points to different processes underlying girls' and boys' aggression.