ABSTRACTINHIBITING ONLINE AGGRESSION IN ADOLESCENTS: SELF-CONTROL AS A MODERATOR OF NEGATIVE INTERNAL PROCESSES IN HOSTILE COMPUTER-MEDIATED INTERACTIONSByChristina Bernice Wirth-HawkinsPreliminary research on cyberbullying has adequately presented online aggression as a destructive adolescent behavior of growing concern. It is now time to move beyond existing descriptive findings toward empirically-based, theoretically rich studies that help to shape systematic and predictive understandings of the behavior. The present research examines aggressive Internet behaviors of high school students from the General Aggression Model's (GAM) theoretical perspective. Participants were exposed to an anger-inducing provocation scenario with one of three behavioral stimulus conditions (anti-aggressive, aggressive, or control), in which they were bullied by a fictitious classmate through an online social-networking site. As expected, the anti-aggressive stimulus significantly curtailed state hostility in relation to the aggressive stimulus. However, the anti-aggressive behavioral stimulus did not significantly impede cognition. Trait and state self-control surfaced as important potential additions for the GAM. Trait self-control significantly moderated the negative effects of discomfort and arousal on aggressive behavioral intentions, such that adolescents with higher levels of negative internal states were less likely to express aggressive behavioral intentions if they maintained higher levels of trait self-control. Trait self-control also emerged as a significant moderator of the negative effects of affect on aggressive behavioral intentions for low trait aggression individuals. State self-control surfaced as a significant moderator of the negative effects of affect on aggressive behavioral intentions and of cognition on aggressive behavioral intentions for low trait aggression individuals. Through qualitative analysis, the study also identified interactions of online and offline aggression. Specifically, results suggested that online aggression can lead to potential offline aggression. The present study's original contribution was to examine online aggression through a theoretical framework, to present trait and state self-control as valuable additions to the GAM, and to ascertain the value of exposure to anti-aggressive stimuli in restraining online aggression. The study provides a valuable platform for understanding how online aggression functions, how it can be inhibited, and how it should be explored in the future.
Read
