Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-g4j75 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-13T08:36:14.647Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

3 - Aggression and Insecurity in Late Adolescent Romantic Relationships: Antecedents and Developmental Pathways

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 September 2009

By
Gregory S. Pettit ,
John E. Bates ,
Amy Holtzworth-Munroe ,
Amy D. Marshall ,
Lori D. Harach ,
David J. Cleary  and
Kenneth A. Dodge
Edited by
Aletha C. Huston  and
Marika N. Ripke
Gregory S. Pettit
Affiliation:
Human Sciences Professor in Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University
John E. Bates
Affiliation:
Professor of Psychology, Indiana University
Amy Holtzworth-Munroe
Affiliation:
Professor in the Department of Psychology, Indiana University
Amy D. Marshall
Affiliation:
Postdoctoral Fellow for the National Center for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lori D. Harach
Affiliation:
Assistant Professor in the Department of Human Ecology, University of Alberta
David J. Cleary
Affiliation:
Graduate Student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Auburn University
Kenneth A. Dodge
Affiliation:
Director of the Center for Child and Family Policy, Duke University
Aletha C. Huston
Affiliation:
University of Texas, Austin
Marika N. Ripke
Affiliation:
University of Hawaii, Manoa
Get access

Summary

Experiences in the family and peer group play important roles in the development of interpersonal competencies across the childhood and adolescent years. Toward the end of adolescence, stable and supportive romantic relationships increasingly serve adaptive functions in promoting individual well-being and in fostering a sense of connection and security to others (Collins, Hennighausen, Schmit, & Sroufe, 1997; Conger, Cui, Bryant, & Elder, 2000; Furman, 1999). Romantic relationships marked by conflict and violence pose risks for current and longer-term adjustment and can compromise the health and well-being of the partner to whom the violence is directed (Capaldi & Owen, 2001). Romantic relationships in which one or both partners are wary, jealous, and insecure can stifle growth and fuel disagreements and disharmony (Holtzworth-Munroe, Meehan, Herron, Rehman, & Stuart, 2000).

Relationship insecurity and relationship violence covary to some degree (Holtzworth-Munroe & Stewart, 1994), suggesting that they may be linked in the development of romantic relationship dysfunction. Within the marital violence literature, insecurity has been proposed as a key pathway through which relationship violence develops. Consistent with this perspective, Holtzworth-Munroe et al. (2000), in their examination of types of male batterers, found that one type of batterer could be characterized by insecurity and a tendency to confine violence to an intimate relationship. Holtzworth-Munroe et al. (2000) speculate that insecurity plays an etiological role in the development of partner violence. If this were the case, then insecurity might serve as a mediating link between social experience (e.g., of rejection and intimidation) and subsequent violence.

Type
Chapter
Information
Developmental Contexts in Middle Childhood
Bridges to Adolescence and Adulthood
 , pp. 41 - 61
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aiken, L. S., & West, S. G. (1991). Multiple regression: Testing and interpreting interactions. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.Google Scholar
Andrews, J. A., Foster, S. L., Capaldi, D., & Hops, H. (2000). Adolescent and family predictors of physical aggression, communication, and satisfaction in young adult couples: A prospective analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 195–208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barber, B. K. (1996). Parental psychological control: Revisiting a neglected construct. Child Development, 67, 3296–3319.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barber, B. K. (Ed.). (2002). Intrusive parenting: How psychological control affects children and adolescents. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 226–244.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Belsky, J., Jaffee, S., Hsieh, K., & Silva, P. A. (2001). Child-rearing antecedents of intergenerational relations in young adulthood: A prospective study. Developmental Psychology, 37, 801–813.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brown, B. B., Mounts, N., Lamborn, S. D., Steinberg, L. (1993). Parenting practices and peer group affiliation in adolescence. Child Development, 64, 467–482.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bukowski, W. M., Hoza, B., & Boivin, M. (1994). Measuring friendship quality during pre- and early adolescence: The development and psychometric properties of the friendship qualities scale. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 11, 471–484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capaldi, D. M., & Owen, L. D. (2001). Physical aggression in a community sample of at-risk couples: Gender comparisons for high frequency, injury, and fear. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 425–440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capaldi, D. M., Dishion, T. J., Stoolmiller, M., & Yoerger, K. (2001). Aggression toward female partners by at-risk young men: The contribution of male adolescent friendships. Developmental Psychology, 37, 61–73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choca, J., & Denburg, E. (1997). Interpretative guide to the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Google Scholar
Coie, J. D., & Dodge, K. A. (1998). Aggression and antisocial behavior. In Damon, W. (Ed.) & Eisenberg, N. (Vol. Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Social, emotional, and personality development (5th ed., pp. 779–862). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Collins, W. A., Hennighausen, K. C., Schmit, D. T., & Sroufe, L. A. (1997). Developmental precursors of romantic relationships: A longitudinal analysis. In Shulman, S. & Collins, W. A. (Eds.), Romantic relationships in adolescence: Developmental perspectives: New directions for child development research (pp. 69–84). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
Collins, W. A., & Sroufe, L. A. (1999). Capacity for intimate relationships: A developmental construction. In Furman, W.. (Eds.), The development of romantic relationships in adolescence. Cambridge studies in social and emotional development (pp. 125–147). New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Conger, R. D., Cui, M., Bryant, C. M., & Elder, G. H. Jr. (2000). Competence in early adult romantic relationships: A developmental perspective on family influences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 79, 224–237.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Criss, M. M., Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Lapp, A. L. (2002). Family adversity, positive peer relationships, and children's externalizing behavior: A longitudinal perspective on risk and resilience. Child Development, 73, 1220–1237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deater-Deckard, K., Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1998). Multiple risk factors in the development of externalizing behavior problems: Group and individual differences. Development and Psychopathology, 10, 469–493.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dishion, T. J., Patterson, G. R., Stoolmiller, M., & Skinner, M. L. (1991). Family, school, and behavioral antecedents to early adolescent involvement with antisocial peers. Developmental Psychology, 27, 172–180.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dodge, K. A., Bates, J. E., & Pettit, G. S. (1990). Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. Science, 250, 1678–1683.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dodge, K. A., Lansford, J. E., Burks, V. S., Bates, J. E., Pettit, G. S., Fontaine, R., & Price, J. M. (2003). Peer rejection and social information processing factors in the development of aggressive behavior problems in children. Child Development, 74, 374–393.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Furman, W. (1999). Friends and lovers: The role of peer relationships in adolescent romantic relationships. In Collins, W. A. & Laursen, B. (Eds.), Relationships as developmental contexts. The Minnesota symposia on child psychology: Vol. 30 (pp. 133–154). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Gazelle, H., & Ladd, G. W. (2003). Anxious solitude and peer exclusion: A diathesis-stress model of internalizing trajectories in childhood. Child Development, 74, 257–278.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hollingshead, W. (1975). The Hollingshead four factor index of socioeconomic status. Unpublished manuscript, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., Meehan, J. C., Herron, K., Rehman, U., & Stuart, G. L. (2000). Testing the Holtzworth-Munroe and Stuart (1994) Batterer Typology. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 68, 1000–1019.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holtzworth-Munroe, A., & Stewart, G. L. (1994). Typologies of male batterers: Three subtypes and the differences among them. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 476–497.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ladd, G. W., & Ladd, B. K. (1998). Parenting behaviors and parent-child relationships: Correlates of peer victimization in kindergarten?Developmental Psychology, 34, 1450–1458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lavoie, F., Hebert, M., Tremblay, R., Vitaro, F., Vezina, L., & McDuff, P. (2002). History of family dysfunction and perpetration of dating violence by adolescent boys: A longitudinal study. Journal of Adolescent Health, 30, 375–383.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lansford, J. E., Criss, M. M., Pettit, G. S., Dodge, K. A., & Bates, J. E. (2003). Friendship quality, peer group affiliation, and peer antisocial behavior as moderators of the link between negative parenting and adolescent externalizing behavior. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 13, 161–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lisonbee, J., & Cleary, D. J. (2003, April). Mutual antipathies, reciprocated friendships, and school adjustment in middle childhood: Concurrent and longitudinal relations. Poster presented at the Society for Research in Child Development, Tampa, FL.Google Scholar
Magdol, L., Moffitt, T. E., Caspi, A., & Silva, P. A. (1998). Developmental antecedents of partner abuse: A prospective-longitudinal study. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 375–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mathes, E. W., & Severa, N. (1981). Jealousy, romantic love, and liking: Theoretical considerations and preliminary scale development. Psychological Reports, 49, 23–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Melby, J. N., & Conger, R. D. (2001). The Iowa Family Interaction Rating Scales: Instrument summary. In Kerig, P. & Lindahl, K. (Eds.), Family observation coding systems: Resources for systemic research (pp. 33–58). Mahway, NJ: Erlbaurm.Google Scholar
Patterson, G. R., Reid, J. B., & Dishion, T. J. (1992). Antisocial boys. Eugene, OR: Castalia.Google Scholar
Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., & Dodge, K. A. (1997). Supportive parenting, ecological context, and children's adjustment: A seven-year longitudinal study. Child Development, 68, 908–923.Google Scholar
Pettit, G. S., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Meece, D. (1999). The impact of after-school peer contact on early adolescent externalizing problems is moderated by parental monitoring, perceived neighborhood safety, and prior adjustment. Child Development, 70, 768–778.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pettit, G. S., Laird, R. D., Bates, J. E., Dodge, K. A., & Criss, M. M. (2001). Antecedents and behavior-problem outcomes of parental monitoring and psychological control in early adolescence. Child Development, 72, 583–598.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sorenson, S. B., Upchurch, D. W., & Shen, H. (1996). Violence and injury in marital arguments: Risk patterns and gender differences. American Journal of Public Health, 86, 35–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sroufe, L. A., & Fleeson, J. (1986). Attachment and the construction of relationships. In Hartup, W. & Rubin, Z. (Eds.), Relationships and development (pp. 27–47). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Google Scholar
Straus, M. A., & Gelles, R. J. (1990). Physical violence in American families. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.Google Scholar
Straus, M. A., Hamby, S. L., Boney-McCoy, S., & Sugarman, D. B. (1996). The Revised Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS2): Development and preliminary psychometric data. Journal of Family Issues, 17, 283–316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swinford, S. P., DeMaris, A., Cernkovich, S. A., & Giordano, P. C. (2000). Harsh physical discipline in childhood and violence in later romantic involvements: The mediating role of problem behaviors. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 62, 508–519.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thornberry, T. P., & Krohn, M. D. (2001). The development of delinquency: An interactional perspective. In White, S. O. (Ed.), Handbook of youth and justice (pp. 289–305). New York: Plenum.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×