ERIC Number: EJ1059576
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2015-Jan
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0272-930X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Moral Disengagement Moderates the Link between Psychopathic Traits and Aggressive Behavior among Early Adolescents
Gini, Gianluca; Pozzoli, Tiziana; Bussey, Kay
Merrill-Palmer Quarterly: Journal of Developmental Psychology, v61 n1 Article 4 51-67 Jan 2015
This study investigated the relationships between three psychopathic dimensions (callousness/unemotionality, grandiosity/manipulation, and impulsivity/irresponsibility) and reactive and instrumental aggression in a community sample of early adolescents (N = 243, age M = 12.29, SD = 1.18). The moderating role of moral disengagement (MD) was also tested. The findings from structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that impulsivity/irresponsibility was directly related to reactive but not instrumental aggression. Grandiosity/manipulation was related to both types of aggressive behavior. Moreover, MD was a significant moderator of these associations. Specifically, the positive relationship between grandiose-manipulative traits and instrumental aggression was stronger at high levels of MD. Impulsive-irresponsible traits were positively related to reactive aggression at only low levels of MD and negatively related to instrumental aggression at high levels of MD. Overall, our results highlight the enabling role of MD in aggressive behavior and show that this relationship varies for the different traits associated with psychopathy.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Early Adolescents, Psychopathology, Personality Traits, Aggression, Behavior Problems, Moral Values, Hypothesis Testing, Student Behavior, Middle School Students, Suburban Schools, Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8, Attitude Measures, Rating Scales, Correlation, Structural Equation Models, Self Control, Conceptual Tempo
Wayne State University Press. The Leonard N. Simons Building, 4809 Woodward Avenue, Detroit, MI 48201-1309. Tel: 800-978-7323; Fax: 313-577-6131; Web site: http://wsupress.wayne.edu/journals/merrill/merrillj.html
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Grade 6; Intermediate Grades; Elementary Education; Grade 7; Grade 8
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Italy
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A