| Abstract: | The taxonomy of aggressive behavior has been studied by many social scientists. In the present study this topic is approached empirically. A group of convicts were asked to quantify pairwise dissimilarity among aggressive social situations. The data obtained were processed by Multidimensional Scaling. The results show the necessity of taking into account 3 dimensions (justifiability, instrumentality and degree of involvement with the victim) in distinguishing among aggressive episodes. This finding is discussed in terms of cultural differences, and the usefulness of the perception of aggressive episodes as a basis for a taxonomic system is proposed. |
