Journal of Intellectual Developmental

Short Communication

Aggression and Self Esteem Among Teenagers

Beer Singh¹, Aejaz Hassan² and Mohammad Amin Wani³*

¹Head Depart of Psychology & Dean Faculty of Arts CCS, University Meerut, India

²Department of Physical Education and Sports Sciences, Annamalai University, India

³Department of Psychology, Annamalai University, India

Submission: September 12, 2017; Published: September 27, 2017

*Corresponding author: Mohammad Amin Wani, Research Scholar, Department of Psychology Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, India, Email: mypsyresearch@outlook.com

How to cite this article: Beer S, Aejaz H, M Amin W. Aggression and Self Esteem Among Teenagers. Glob J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2017; 3(2): 555608. DOI: 10.19080/GJIDD.2017.03.555608

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to assess the level of aggression and self esteem among teenagers. The study consists 70 participants (Boys 35 and Girls 35) selected randomly from Annamalai University. Aggression Questionnaire (1992) developed by Buss Perry and Rosenberg Self Esteem Questionnaire were used for the assessment. For statistical analysis mean, standard deviation and student’s t-test were used. The results revealed that boys are more aggressive than girls; also girls have poor self esteem than boys. Further significant mean difference is found between boys and girls with respect to aggression and self esteem respectively.

Keywords: Aggression; Self esteem; Gender; Teen age

Introduction

Aggression may be defined as the energetic assault on animate or inanimate objects for a purpose. Aggression is always associated with harmful emotional state. The emotion which is called as anger is typically aroused by some provocation [1]. Johnson [2] quoted that aggressive behaviour was associated with destructive acts, sexual attack, prejudice, speech and genital activity. Aggression negatively affects student’s academic achievement, and performance, their emotional, mental as well as psychological wellbeing [3]. Wani et al. [4] divulge that boys show high level of aggression than girls. Akhtar & Kushwaha [5] also confirmed the boys are more aggressive than girls. Talukdar & Deka [6] also found that the male adolescents are significantly aggressive than female.

Self esteem is defined as individual’s positive or negative evaluation of his/ her own personality. Self esteem is self awareness about one’s own strength and weakness. It is self acknowledgment, self judgment, individual gratefulness and subjective respect of one’s own. Self-esteem is the worthiness judgment related to the self concept [7]. Guindon [8] revealed that self esteem refers to the attitudinal and evaluative component of the self. It involves feelings of worth and acceptance which are developed as a result of the awareness of our competencies and feedback from the world around us. Emerging as common across most definitions of self-esteem is the component of self evaluation. Furnham & Cheng [9] found self esteem to be both a direct and a moderator variable for young people’s self reported happiness. It is also associated with life satisfaction. Parmar [10] confirmed significant gender difference in self esteem. Wani et al. [11] revealed that boys have high level of self esteem than girls. Results also revealed that boys have high self-esteem than girls. Lower self esteem among girls has been attributed to several reasons including less favorable attitudes towards their gender roles and more concerns about appearance although boys seem to be showing increasing amounts of concern as well [12]. Self esteem across the life span Robins et al. [13] found that while self esteem levels were high in childhood, they dropped during adolescence and rose gradually throughout adulthood, once again declining in old age. This trajectory generally held true across gender, socio economic status, ethnicity and nationality. Adolescence therefore emerges as a time of reduction in self esteem.

Objectives

To find the level of aggression among boys and girls.
To find the level of self esteem among boys and girls.

Hypotheses

H1 There would be significant mean difference found between aggression scores of boys and girls.
H2 There would be significant mean difference found between self esteem scores of boys and girls.

Variables

Independent variable: Gender.
Dependent variables: Aggression and Self Esteem.

Psychological Tools

Aggression Questionnaire: Aggression Questionnaire by Buss Perry (1992) is 7 point Likert scale with 29 items, including four dimensions namely physical aggression, verbal aggression, hostility, and anger respectively.

Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale: Rosenberg Self Esteem scale (1965) was used for the assessment of self esteem level the scale consists of 10 items with 4 responses. Item 1, 2,4,6,7 are scored as 3, 2, 1, and 0 where as item 3, 5, 8,9,10 are scored in reversed form.

Results

Table 1; Figure 1

*significant at 0.05 level, **significant at 0.01 level

Discussion

The results of present study demonstrated that boys are more aggressive than girls. Simultaneously boys have also high level of self esteem than girls respectively. The Mean, S.D, SEM, and t-value of aggression scores among boys and girls were found [boys, (M= 26.28, S.D= 5.32, SEM= 0.90), girls (M= 24.17, S.D=1.82, SEM=0.30)], and t- value (2.22) were found more than tabulation value at 0.05 level, which reveals that there is significant mean difference between the aggression scores of boys and girls. Therefore the first hypothesis is accepted. These findings are supported by the research by Wani [4], Veiskarami et al. [14], Akhtar & Kushwaha [15], Talukdar & Deka [16], Khatri [17], Bettencourt & Miller [18], and Malik & Katyal [19], It is also divulge there is significant mean difference between the self esteem scores of boys and girls, because obtained t- value (3.45) was found significant at 0.01 level. Mean, S.D, SEM, of boys and girls were found [boys, (M= 14.20, S.D= 2.48, SEM= 0.41), girls (M= 12.62, S.D=1.03, SEM=0.17)] Therefore the second hypothesis is also accepted. Same findings are reported by Wani et al. [11], and Parmar [20] respectively.

Conclusion

On the basis of the findings of the present study we may conclude boys are more aggressive as all as self esteemed than girls. Also gender is an influential variable in aggression and self esteem respectively.