Direct and indirect aggression: Does choice of strategy depend on gender?

Research on aggression suggests that males are more likely to be directly aggressive, whereas females are more likely to be indirectly aggressive. The present study examined the relationship of gender of aggressor and gender of target to the expression of direct and indirect aggression. Behavioral and self-report measures of direct and indirect aggression were obtained from 112 undergraduate students. Participants made more indirect than direct responses under low levels of provocation and more direct than indirect responses under high levels of provocation. Males were the target of more direct responses than indirect responses. Males reported engaging in more direct than indirect aggression with males than with females. Females reported engaging in more indirect aggression with females than with males. Explanations consider the effects of the situational context on aggressive responding.