Aggression and Anti-Social Behavioral in Adolescents: An Appraisal of Catharsis of Aggression Theory

One of the theor ies associated with anti-social behaviours to discharging of aggression and energy is Catharsis of Aggression Theory (CAT). The aim of this study was to appraise the validity of CAT in explanation of adolescents’ participation in anti-social behaviours. The research was performed with causal-comparative method. Data were collected from 70 adolescents in two groups: Delinquent adolescents with anti-social behaviours (35) and adolescents with pro-social behaviours (35). The Buss and Perry Aggression Scale (BPAS) was used to evaluate aggression among the subjects. Significant differences were found between the adolescents with anti-social behaviours and pro-social behaviours regarding the aggression specially in terms of the components of aggression: anger and verbal aggression. The mean scores for the adolescents with pro-social behaviours on BPAS was higher than the adolescents with anti-social behaviours. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the aggression and control variables explained for %76.4 of the variance in the adolescents’ participation in anti- or pro-social behaviours. The present study disapproved the basic hypothesis of CAT about the adolescents’ participation in anti-social behaviours as a mechanism to discharging of aggression and energy. If Catharsis of Aggression Theory was true, then the adolescents with anti-social behaviours must be more aggressive than the adolescents with pro-social behaviours. Our findings comfirmed the opposite effect. The results of the present study showed that the adolescents with pro-social behaviours were more aggressive than those with anti-social behaviours.