Physical and relational aggression : an introduction to gender differentiation

Abstract

This article attempts a preliminary analysis of physical and relational aggression in the context of gender. The study of literature on the subject shows that the relations between gender and the above types of aggression are complex and fit perfectly the debate between proponents of biological determinism and social constructivism. It is difficult to derive a conclusion from both the results of empirical research on this problem and theoretical considerations, which are often ideology-dependent.