NCJ Number
92641
Date Published
1983
Length
160 pages
Annotation
This study found violent victimization to be mildly associated with changes in some respondents' acceptance of aggressive physical acts and their expectation of assertive traits in children.
Abstract
The study hypothesized that victims are more likely than nonvictims to expect assertive traits in children; the more respondents have been victimized, the more they will expect assertive traits in children; victimized respondents are more likely to accept acts of physical aggression than nonvictimized respondents are willing to accept; and the amount of victimization is positively related to one's level of acceptance of aggressive acts. The population sampled consisted of the noninstitutionalized voting age population in the continental United States, with 6,025 completed interviews obtained. Victimization was determined by the respondents' estimation of the number of times they had been beaten or punched, and attitudes toward assertive traits were determined by respondents' assessments of the importance of a list of traits for children. Attitudes toward the acceptance of aggressive physical acts were determined by asking respondents whether they would ever approve of striking a stranger. The findings are inconclusive even though they are consistent with the model. Victimization was shown to be mildly associated with changes in some respondents' acceptance of aggressive physical acts and their expectation of assertive traits in children. The strongest evidence was found in support of victimization influencing the acceptance of aggressive acts. Apparently, socioeconomic factors intervened in the determination of the effects of victimization. It is likely that the victims' economic status, education, age, occupation, military experience, or victims' sex influenced reactions to victimization. The appendixes present details on the research methodology; tabular data and about 250 references are provided.