The relation between aggression and inflated self-concepts in aggressive children: a replication study

Abstract

This study examined the relation between inflated self-concepts and levels of aggression in a sample of 167 aggressive second- and third-grade students. Variable-oriented data analyses of children's self- and others' reports of competence and support revealed aggressive children positively distorted their perceived competence and support across home and school domains. Person-centered research approaches (i.e., hierarchical cluster analyses) used to identify meaningful subtypes of aggressive children based on self- and others' reports of relationship quality revealed three clusters of aggressive children: a peer-inflation cluster (i.e., children inflated ratings of peer acceptance), an adult-inflation cluster (i.e., children inflated ratings of relationship quality with parents and teachers), and a deflation cluster (i.e., children's ratings of relationship quality with parents, teachers, and peers were lower than those ratings provided by others). Children in the adult-inflation cluster were rated as more aggressive by mothers than children in the remaining two clusters. Explanations for partial replication of previous findings and implications for the utility of aggressive children's self-report data are discussed.