Qualitative and quantitative sex differences in self-reported aggressive behavioral characteristics

Aggressive behavioral characteristics were assessed in a large group of men and women by a self-report instrument, the Aggression Inventory. Significant gender differences appeared on four factors in which men reported more physical aggression and verbal aggression than did women. Further, men had higher scores on measures of impulsiveness and lack of patience than women, while women reported being more likely to avoid confrontation. In addition to these quantitative sex differences in self-reported behavior, factor analyses indicated qualitative differences by sex, wherein most of the variance for women centered on verbal aggression, while physical aggression was the first factor for men.