A Longitudinal Study of the Relationship between Aggressive and Depressive Tendencies in Elementary School Age Boys and Girls

Abstract

Aggression is a form of behavior that is typically directed outward. Aggression is associated with the affect of anger but is defined in behavioral terms so that aggression may take place without the affective accompaniments of anger. The aggressive child is characterized as aggressive because he or she strikes other children, directs hostile comments towards others, destroys property—that is, inflicts injury on some external object or person. There are also circumstances in which children will direct angry behavior toward themselves and experience self-directed injury and pain. However, this form of aggression is much less common and, in general, aggression entails social behaviors that are directed toward individuals and objects in the external environment. Depression, in contrast, is a construct that refers to an inward, asocial form of response. The affect of sadness and related dysphoric feelings are implicated in depression. However, while depression may be more closely linked to dysphoric affect than aggression is to anger, depression can be defined in behavioral terms such as social isolation and withdrawal, motor retardation, pessimism and reduced initiative.