1. Get Power in the Relationship
Perceptions of Perpetrator Motivations in Psychological and Physical Aggression
Elizabeth Taylor, Kenneth Brock Lamm, Deborah Richardson, and Georgina Hammock
Department of Psychology
Georgia Regents University
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS
RESULTS
Different types of aggression – Psychological and Physical Aggression
- Behaviors to demean or control; Behaviors to physically harm
Psychological and Physical aggression in Male/Female intimate relationships
- Male perpetrator perceived more negatively
- Psychological aggression perceived to be less harmful and less
serious than physical aggression (e.g., Basow et al., 2007; Hammock et al., 2013)
Examining psychological and physical aggression in cross-sex and same-sex relationships
- Male perpetrator still perceived negatively regardless of sex of
victim
- When victim female, regardless of sex of perpetrator, the
perpetrator is perceived negatively (e.g., Hammock et al., 2013)
Are male perpetrators seen as particularly powerful or are female victims seen as particularly vulnerable?
Is the perpetrator perceived to be more motivated to hurt the victim when physical aggression occurs?
Purpose of current study:
- Determine if third-parties perceive perpetrator motivations
differently when gender of perpetrator and of victim are
unconfounded
Do individuals perceive the motivations of perpetrators differently during physical aggression compared to psychological aggression?
Physical
Psychological
When the victim is female, are the motivations of the perpetrator perceived differently than when the victim is male?
Main effect for Sex of Perpetrator
Control the relationship
Male Perpetrators (M = 6.09) > Female Perpetrators (M = 5.69)
Do female participants perceive the perpetrator to be motivated differently than male participants?
Get Power in the Relationship
Hurt the Victim
Protect Self
Motivation
Psychological Aggression
Physical Aggression
Control the relationship
M = 5.78
M = 6.19
Control the victim
M = 5.85
M = 6.13
Get power in the relationship
M = 5.69
M = 6.11
Hurt the victim
M = 4.51
M = 5.38
Stop victim from talking to others about the relationship
M = 2.42
M = 3.06
Similar pattern for Control the Victim and Control the Relationship
Motivation
Psychological Aggression
Physical Aggression
Make the victim feel bad
M = 5.80
M = 5.15
Protect self
M = 2.62
M = 2.19
Motivation
Male
Victims
Female Victims
Control the relationship
M = 5.75
M = 6.03
Control the victim
M = 5.72
M = 6.11
Get power in the relationship
M = 5.63
M = 5.97
Stop victim from talking to others about the relationship
M = 2.40
M = 3.08
METHOD
Study Design
2 (Sex of Participant) x 2 (Sex of Victim) x 2 (Sex of Perpetrator) x 2 (Type of Aggression: Psychological and Physical) with a repeated measure for Type of Aggression
Participants
170 females and 69 males (Age: M = 23.9, SD = 6.49)
African American (30.7%), Caucasian (49.8%), Mixed or Bi-racial (10.8%), Hispanic (4.8%), Asian-American (3.2%), and Other (.8%)
Heterosexual (95.2%), Lesbian or Gay male (2.8%), and Bisexual (1.6%)
Dependent Variables
Control the relationship
Control the victim
Get power in the relationship
Stop victim from talk to others about the relationship
Hurt the victim
Make the victim feel bad
Retaliate
Defend self
Protect self
DISCUSSION
Motivation
Male Participants
Female Participants
Control the relationship
M = 5.61
M = 6.17
Control the victim
M = 5.67
M = 6.15
Get power in the relationship
M = 5.47
M = 6.14
Make victim feel bad
M = 4.97
M = 5.75
Hurt the victim
M = 4.51
M = 5.15
Retaliate
M = 3.91
M = 4.60
Defend self
M = 2.31
M = 2.90
REFERENCES
Basow, S. A., Cahill, K. F., Phelan, J. E., Longshore, K., & McGillicuddy-DeLisi, A. (2007). Perceptions of relational and physical aggression among college students: Effects of gender of perpetrator, target, and perceiver. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 31,
Hammock, G. S., Richardson, D. S., Williams, C., & Janit, A. S. (2013). Perceptions of psychological and physical aggression between heterosexual partners. Manuscript submitted for publication.