The Relationship between the Manifestation of Aggressive Behavior and Personality Traits as a Form of Deviation of a Modern Teenager

Lapsar' Margarita Vladimirovna ORCID: 0000-0001-5295-383X Associate Professor; Department of Social Sciences and Humanities; Krasnodar University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia 350053, Russia, Krasnodar Territory, Krasnodar, Agronomic str., 2/5 margaret-1572@yandex.ru

Introduction.

Today, one of the most pressing problems of concern to society is the problem of deviant behavior of adolescents. Despite the fact that juvenile delinquency has decreased in general ^{[1, from V.V. Putin's speech at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia]}, we note that the manifestation of various forms of deviant behavior of adolescents continues to be the object of increased attention of society. Due to the influence of many factors: the personal characteristics of adolescents, their experience of an age crisis, the influence of peers and older people, the popularization of various deviations in the media and popular culture, widespread coverage of high–profile crimes, cruelty, aggression - we note not only an increase in the tendency to form deviant behavior, but also the expansion of its possible forms ^[2].

One of the typical manifestations of the adolescent crisis is aggressive behavior, to which there is an ambiguous attitude in both the social and scientific environment. On the one hand, aggressive behavior is perceived as an exclusively negative factor, which is not the norm, or a character trait, the manifestation of which must be suppressed ^[3]. On the other hand, some researchers note that aggression is a natural reaction of a person to danger, one of the tools of adaptation to changing environmental conditions, including age-related changes ^[4]. Such an ambiguous attitude to aggressive behavior justifies the existence of two polar directions of working with it: suppression or training in the control of aggressive manifestations.

However, despite the fact that aggressive behavior does not always mean the presence of personality abnormalities or other problems, it is important to understand that today aggressive behavior can manifest itself as one of the forms of deviant behavior. This fact is reflected in the works of E.V. Leus ^[5], and is also partially confirmed by the results of our empirical study, which showed that aggressive behavior in modern adolescents often manifests itself in severity as a form of deviation ^[6].

The causes of aggressive behavior, the conditions leading to its formation in a teenager, often become the subject of scientific research and leads to the existence of a large number of author's definitions of this phenomenon. However, an analysis of domestic and foreign sources allowed us to conclude that aggressive behavior is understood as a personal or age trait, and there are very few studies considering the personality traits of a teenager as a factor in the transformation of aggression from a behavioral reaction into a form of deviant behavior. In our opinion, the study of aggression in this context will allow us to gain a deeper knowledge of the nature of aggressive behavior, the peculiarities of its development in adolescents and an understanding of the relationship between personal characteristics and aggression-deviation, which in the future can serve as a basis for the formation of methods for the prevention and prevention of this form of deviant behavior. This approach will make it possible to focus the attention of psychologists, teachers and parents on the signs of the transformation of aggressive defensive behavior into a stable form of deviation in order to prevent it. It also helps to understand the boundary between age-related manifestations of aggression and the beginning of the formation of character accentuations in order to educate a more harmonious personality.

Literature review.

One of the controversial issues of modern psychology is the definition of the concepts of aggression and aggressive behavior. S.V. Nevenchany asks the question: is aggression a characteristic of behavior or behavior itself? ^{[7, p. 301]} From this question comes the diversity of attitudes towards aggression in adolescents, which is a significant aspect in the context of our study that requires clarification.

Speaking of aggression, it is necessary to consider the author's approaches to determining its nature without connection with adolescent characteristics. We have mentioned that aggression researchers conditionally adhere to two extreme positions: considering aggression exclusively from a negative perspective and a neutral one.

The root cause of aggression and aggressive behavior is the biological instinct of man – the struggle for survival. According to B. Kreihi, the more aggressive energy there is at the moment, the less powerful the stimulus is needed for aggression to spill out ^[12]. D. Hjell and D. Ziegler share this concept, noting that clearly aggressive actions are the result of a large amount of accumulated aggressive energy and external stimuli that contributed to its discharge ^[13].

Aggression as a destructive manifestation of human activity is studied in the works of H. Delgaro, who argued that human aggression is a behavioral reaction aimed at causing damage or harm to an individual, society ^[8]. S.V. Nevenchany holds similar views, defining aggression as "motivated, destructive behavior ... contrary to the norms of human existence in a given cultural society" ^{[7, p. 308]}.

The representative of the second approach is F. Allan, who speaks of aggression as an internal force that allows a person to resist external forces ^[7]. E. Fromm explores aggression as a reaction of a person to hostile reality ^[9].

Concretizing the analysis of scientific research in the field of studying aggressive behavior of adolescents, we will highlight the main directions. According to M.A. Kotelevskaya, aggressive behavior of adolescents is formed in connection with the conflict between his and social value orientations ^[10]. O.A. Tkachuk and K.A. Kornilov believe that a possible condition for the formation of aggressive behavior is the process of education and the influence of older persons on a teenager ^[4]. Yu.B. Mozhginsky saw aggression as a way to elected by a teenager to protect his autonomy ^[11].

In general, the analysis of scientific sources allowed us to draw the following conclusions. Firstly, the concepts of "aggression", "aggressive behavior" and "aggressiveness" are currently controversial, have a wide variety of author's interpretations and are considered in various concepts. In the context of our research, we will adhere to the position of S.V. Nevenchanny, who sees no need to separate these concepts and considers them synonymous. In general, by aggression we will understand motivated, destructive behavior that contradicts the norms of society, bringing real damage as a result.

Secondly, researchers of aggressive behavior of adolescents, for the most part, associate its manifestation with various social factors and features of personality interaction with the environment, or see as its cause the specifics of experiencing an age crisis without connection with the personal characteristics of the adolescent's personality itself.

As part of our research, based on the theoretical work of H. Delgaro, S.V. Nevenchannogo and Yu.B. Mozhginsky, we will try to empirically separate the concepts of age-related aggressive behavior and aggressive deviant behavior that can harm society or individuals in order to determine the directions of prevention of deviant aggression of adolescents.

Description of the study.

The purpose of the study is to determine the personal characteristics of modern adolescents in their relationship with the severity of their aggressive behavior as one of the forms of deviation.

To achieve this goal, it was necessary to perform several specific tasks:

– to conduct an empirical study of the severity of the general level of aggression in order to separate a group of respondents with high and normative indicators;

– identify typical forms of aggressive behavior for each group of respondents and identify such personal characteristics as the level of self-esteem and satisfaction of basic needs, as well as a tendency to deviant behavior;

– to summarize the results obtained in the course of an empirical study and draw a conclusion on the relationship between aggressive behavior and personality characteristics of a modern teenager.

The object of the study is aggressive behavior as a form of deviant behavior of modern adolescents.

The subject is the relationship between the personality traits of adolescents and aggressive behavior.

The hypothesis of the study: aggressive behavior as a form of deviant behavior is associated with the level of self-esteem of a modern teenager and the degree of satisfaction with basic needs. The inability to meet the needs for safety and social contacts, combined with a pronounced underestimation or overestimation of self-esteem by a teenager, will lead to an increase in aggressive behavior to the level of deviance.

The study was conducted in secondary educational institutions in Krasnodar in January-March 2024. The sample consisted of 140 people aged 15 to 17 years, the gender composition of the sample was 60% boys and 40% girls. Participation in the study was voluntary and anonymous.

The study was conducted using the following methods: the method of diagnosing the level of aggressiveness of A. Bass and A. Darki, the method of assessing the tendency to deviant behavior by E.V. Leus, the Self-assessment of personality test, the method of "Studying the degree of satisfaction of students' needs". To clarify the relationship between the propensity for aggressive behavior of adolescents and their personality characteristics, a correlation analysis was used, the reliability of the study was determined by calculating the Student's Criterion.

The obtained results of the study using the method of diagnosing the level of aggressiveness of A. Bass and A. Darki made it possible to comprehensively assess the severity of typical forms of aggressive behavior in respondents. As part of this technique, it is possible to assess the degree of manifestation of the following forms of aggressive reactions: physical aggression, indirect aggression, negativism, resentment, suspicion, verbal aggression, guilt. It should be noted that in 40% of respondents, aggression exceeds the norm, is normal in 35% and below the norm in 25%. The assessment of the level of aggressive reactions allowed us to divide the subjects into two groups, the criterion of differentiation is the level of aggression. Respondents with the level of the general indicator of aggression "above the norm" – 40% of the total number were assigned to group 1, and 60% to group 2 (the level of general aggression is normal or below the norm).

A study of the most characteristic forms of aggressive reaction showed that the "resentment" reaction is most characteristic for the respondents of group 1 (45% of respondents). Also, high indicators were obtained on the scales of "verbal aggression" and "indirect aggression". The generalized results are presented in the diagram (Fig. 1):

Fig. 1 Diagram of the forms of aggression in respondents from group 1

Let's analyze the differences in the forms of aggressive reactions in groups 1 and 2 (Fig. 2):

Fig. 2 Diagram comparing the manifestations of forms of aggression in respondents in both groups

It can be seen from the presented diagrams that adolescents with a level of aggression exceeding the norm are more prone to aggressive reactions such as resentment, indirect and verbal aggression, while respondents with a level of aggression within or below the norm are characterized by resentment, negativism, suspicion and guilt. It should be noted that respondents from both groups most often show resentment as a form of aggressive reaction, which is one of the characteristic features of adolescence. Resentment is a reaction based on envy and hatred of others, manifested against the background of perception of real or fictional actions. Often, resentment becomes one of the factors of a person's low self-esteem.

Next, we assessed the degree of adolescents' tendency to deviant behavior according to the method of E.V. Leus. This technique has scales of socially conditioned behavior (prosociality, attitude to socially approved actions, orientation to a reference group); delinquent behavior (antisociality, contradiction to legal norms), aggressive behavior (negativism, short temper, hostility), addictive behavior (dependence, desire to change consciousness and escape from reality) autoaggressive behavior (directing aggression at oneself, causing pain, suffering, mutilation). The following results were obtained:

– respondents from group 1 show a pronounced tendency to aggressive behavior and socially conditioned behavior, situational - to autoaggressive and delinquent behavior, to a lesser extent a tendency to addictive behavior. We can assume that it is the deterrence factor in the form of socially conditioned behavior that provides the basis for the development of an already arisen impulse of aggressive behavior to the level of deviance.

– respondents from group 2 are also prone to socially conditioned behavior and do not show signs of a tendency to other types of deviant behavior, which can partly be explained by the lack of a tendency to aggression as a way to defend their interests and the use of socially acceptable forms of self-expression.

Thus, the results of the study confirm the hypothesis about the relationship between the level of aggression in respondents and their personal characteristics: a high level of aggression is combined in adolescents from group 1 with a tendency to aggressive behavior as a form of deviation in combination with increased prosociality. From this it can be concluded that aggressive behavior may be a consequence of the influence of the reference group or insufficient adaptation of the teenager in the team, which causes an increase in aggression to a deviant level.

To determine the level of self-esteem of adolescents and its relationship with the level of aggressive behavior, we found that 30% of respondents from group 1 had an adequate level of self-esteem. According to the psychodiagnostic scale for the test we use, adequate self-esteem is within the limits of the average level. It should be noted that an adequate level of self-esteem of adolescents is expressed in the correct ratio of themselves and their capabilities. Due to this, teenagers rarely become participants in conflicts, and in case of its occurrence they adhere to a constructive position. An adequate level of self-esteem is not often manifested in adolescence. Most researchers agree that this teenage period is more characterized by an overestimated or underestimated level of self-esteem.

An overestimated level of self-esteem in group 1 was detected in 40% of respondents, and the results of testing these respondents correspond to the level of "inadequately high". The perception of reality in such adolescents is often focused on emotions, they form a feeling of misperception of themselves and their capabilities. As a result, teenagers with high self-esteem perceive failure or mistake as a result of other people's actions, adverse circumstances, and deny their own participation. Teenagers who overestimate themselves are often characterized by conflict.

Also, 30% of the respondents in the group under consideration are characterized by a low level of self-esteem. Such teenagers often show passivity in interacting with others, they are unsure of themselves, timid. An integral companion of low self-esteem is an inferiority complex, expressed both in excessive demands on oneself and demands on others, which is expressed in a high level of conflict and intolerance.

There were no respondents with an overestimated level of self-esteem in the 2nd group. 75% of respondents showed an adequate level of self–esteem, while 25% showed an underestimated level.

In the diagram, the ratio of the level of self-esteem of non-aggressive and aggressive adolescents is as follows:

Fig. 3 Chart comparing the level of self-esteem of respondents

As we can see, in group 1 (adolescents with pronounced aggressive behavior), an overestimated level of self–esteem prevails, and in group 2 (adolescents with normal or low levels of aggression), an adequate one. At the same time, both aggressive and non-aggressive adolescents tend to have low self-esteem, from which we can assume that a high level of aggression may be a direct consequence of low self-esteem.

The survey of the degree of satisfaction with the needs of respondents showed the following results:

In group 1, the least satisfied are security needs (40%), social needs (25%), material needs (20%), recognition needs (10%) and self-expression (5%).

Adolescents from group 2 are more in need of satisfaction of the need for recognition (35%), material needs (26%). 17% of respondents feel the need for self-expression, and 11% of respondents feel the need for security and satisfaction of social needs, respectively.

The need for security, which is more pronounced in respondents from group 1 than from group 2, in combination with social needs may indicate dissatisfaction with their position in the reference group: family, class, team, etc. In this case, the need for security has more to do with psychological well-being than with physiological well-being. An unsatisfied desire for communication and recognition causes feelings of anxiety, fear, and insecurity in a teenager. This condition causes frustration, and aggressive behavior is often the chosen way of self-defense. Here we see a well-marked correlation between overestimated or underestimated self-esteem, dissatisfaction with one's social position and an increased level of aggression. This is due to the fact that a socially isolated teenager without adequate feedback forms a misconception about himself and his capabilities, since the reference group for him at this age period is a group of peers with similar characteristics of perception of himself and society. It is grouping with peers that provokes an increased sense of isolation and stimulates aggression towards society, which can later become a stable personality trait.

In the 2nd group of respondents, the need for recognition prevails, which reflects the teenager's desire for self-expression and self-affirmation in the group. At the same time, unlike respondents from group 1, non-aggressive adolescents are less likely to feel the need for safety and social contact, from which we can conclude that such adolescents choose constructive ways to achieve their goals.

To clarify the relationship between the personal characteristics of adolescents and the level of aggressiveness, we will build a correlation computer matrix for which variables are introduced: 1 – gender of the respondent, 2 – index of aggressiveness (Ia), 3 – index of hostility (Ib), belonging to the group – 1, 2, self–esteem level - 1 (understated), 2 (adequate), 3 (overestimated), a combination of satisfied and unmet needs.

The resulting correlation matrix has the form:

Table 1. Computer correlation matrix

From the obtained correlation matrix, we have drawn the following conclusions:

– the level of self-esteem of respondents is associated with a tendency to hostility and satisfaction with needs: higher self-esteem is characterized by more pronounced hostility, dissatisfaction with needs provokes inadequately inflated self-esteem;

– teenagers with severe aggression show increased hostility, have a higher level of self-esteem, and have more unmet needs.

The statistical significance (reliability) of the Student's coefficient for this sample is 3.0 (rounding to the full number). Therefore, our study is 99% reliable, since 3.0≥2.7.

Conclusion.

In the theoretical aspect of our research, we tend to understand aggression and aggressive behavior as synonymous concepts that can further damage society or individuals at the level of manifestation of deviant behavior. Nevertheless, we consider aggression to a greater extent as a personality trait of a teenager in the context of an age crisis or defensive behavior.

An analysis of the results of the study showed that adolescents who exhibit a high level of aggression are in most cases prone to aggressive behavior as a form of deviation. At the same time, the increased level of aggression has a direct connection with the dissatisfaction of needs, the most significant of which we consider the need for security and social contacts. These needs are of such high importance in adolescence due to age characteristics and the manifestation of the adolescent crisis. Adolescents are prone to the manifestation of a grouping reaction and influence from a referentially significant group, which is confirmed by high indicators of the severity of socially conditioned behavior. The inability to meet these needs, combined with the peculiarities of the age period, is expressed in the underestimation or overestimation of self-esteem by a teenager, which means that they are unable to adequately perceive themselves and others. A direct consequence of this is the severity of aggression and its transformation from a behavioral reaction into a stable form of deviant behavior.

The manifestation of aggression as a form of deviant behavior can become a condition for the development of other forms of deviation. Thus, the increased level of aggression in a teenager requires closer attention from teachers and parents in order to prevent the formation of other negative behavioral reactions based on it. As with other manifestations of the adolescent crisis, aggression needs psychological attention and training of a teenager in forms of self-control.

When planning preventive measures, it is necessary to take into account that a high level of self-esteem does not give a sense of social security, but, on the contrary, forms a hostile mood and provokes aggressive behavior. Since, with a high level of aggression and hostility, more unmet needs have been identified, then perhaps the focus of prevention should be on ways to meet adolescents' urgent needs.