Extract

Introduction

Aggressive behavior is natural for human beings, even in the earliest stages of childhood. It is a necessary tool for the continuous effort towards self-emancipation and to define one’s own borders in one’s environment and society. Such independence is a basic cultural and personal need, and aggression can be an effective way to satisfy it (Baumaister, Bushman, 2004; Tedechi, Felson, 1994). As a result of an increase of independence, aggressive tendencies are more common during adolescence; such behaviour is normatively connected to a young person’s development (Blatný et al., 2012; Bonino, Cattelino, Ciairano, 2005; Jessor, Jessor, 1977; Moffitt, Caspi, 2001; Martínek, 2009). From an evolutionary perspective, universal definitions of aggression may have arisen because such acts pose a fundamental threat to humans beings (Bandura, 1977; Buss, 1997; Baumaister, Bushman, 2004). The commonly accepted definition by psychologists states that aggression is considered to be any behavior that is performed with the explicit intention of causing harm or damage to a person or object (Dollard et al, 1939; Bandura, 1977; Buss, 1961; Anderson, Bushman, 2002). Additionally, aggressive acts can be divided into multiple categories – for instance, direct and indirect, verbal and physical, active and passive (causing harm through wilful disregard), emotional, frustrational and instrumental (Martínek, 2009). It is necessary to differentiate aggression, hostility and anger (Ramírez, Andreu, 2006).

This paper is focused on adolescents’ aggression in the school environment – where the normative ambiguity of aggressive behaviour is the most evident. First of...