Although collective violence remains a pervasive issue affecting many societies today, the specific psychological mechanisms underlying individual differences in support for collective violence are relatively understudied. In four studies, using five samples from Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey (total N = 3758), we conceptualize and develop a new multidimensional scale for measuring individual differences in collective violence beliefs. Contrary to some prior theorizing and extant research on interpersonal violence, we found that people's justifications for collective violence are structured based on the target of the act rather than the intensity of the violent act. Consequently, we developed and validated a Two-Dimensional Collective Violence Beliefs Scale (CVBS: 2D) that distinguishes between violence targeted at outgroup members, referred to as diffuse collective violence, and violence targeted at outgroup leaders, which we term upward collective violence. We validate this novel scale in multiple contexts and discuss the implications of the two dimensions of collective violence revealed in this study.

ABSTRACTResearch on emotion regulation (ER) and aggression has increased rapidly in the past years, but heterogeneity across studies make integration of findings challenging. To estimate the size and consistency of the relationship between ER and aggression we conducted a systematic review and meta‐analysis. In total, 16,369 articles were retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, and CINAHL, and 137 articles (171 studies) provided 918 effect sizes from a total sample of N = 252,605. Multilevel models showed significant pooled relationships, with small‐to‐moderate effects. Use of adaptive strategies was associated with lower aggression (r = −0.090, I2 = 78%), but the precision estimate test (PET) bias corrected effect was non‐significant. Use of maladaptive strategies (r = 0.329, I2 = 93%), and difficulties regulating emotions (r = 0.248, I2 = 89%), were associated with higher aggression. P‐curves suggested little evidence of selective reporting while cumulative meta‐analysis showed relatively consistent effects over time. Moderator analyses showed that effects were generally stronger for physical and other forms of aggression than sexual aggression, and weaker for intimate partner targets than other targets. Difficulties in ER were most strongly related to reactive compared with proactive aggression, but the use of ER strategies did not differ between motivations. Our findings suggest that interventions targeting ER, including those that explore and challenge angry predispositions and provide skills to manage impulse control, may help to prevent aggressive behaviour.

Despite growing attention to the link between psychological maltreatment and cyberbullying victimization, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored, especially in non-Western cultural contexts like China. Recognizing cyberbullying as a critical issue with alarming prevalence rates among Chinese adolescents and its detrimental effects on well-being, this study aims to illuminate pathways within the cycle of victimization. Drawing on social rank theory, which posits that early maltreatment fosters submissive strategies that heighten vulnerability to victimization, and the resilience framework, which emphasizes the protective role of assets such as social-emotional competence (SEC), this study examined whether submissive behavior mediates the association between psychological maltreatment (psychological abuse and neglect) and cyberbullying victimization, and whether SEC buffers these pathways. A three-wave cross-sectional survey with 1 week apart was conducted with 1,323 Chinese adolescents from five public schools in Beijing and Hunan Province. Utilizing structural equation modeling, results suggested that submissive behavior fully mediated the relation between psychological abuse and cyberbullying victimization, and partially mediated the relation between psychological neglect and cyberbullying victimization. Importantly, while SEC did not moderate the link between psychological maltreatment and submissive behavior, it significantly buffered the association between submissive behavior and cyberbullying victimization. These findings help outline a model of how psychological maltreatment may contribute to vulnerability to cyberbullying from a social rank perspective and highlight the protective role of social-emotional competence in mitigating these risks among adolescents.

This study applied Random Forest analysis to analyze 360 potential predictors of terrorism justification using data from the World Values Survey across 65 countries. Contrary to narratives that focus exclusively on religious extremism, the findings indicate that terrorism justification is more strongly associated with a worldview characterized by moral flexibility, antisocial values, and anti-democratic sentiment. An analysis of the top predictors revealed three overarching domains: (1) Normalization of Violence, where support for terrorism is closely linked to broader acceptance of aggression in political, interpersonal, and domestic contexts; (2) Moral Flexibility and Rule Violation, where individuals who justify terrorism also endorse dishonest behaviors such as bribery, theft, and fraud; and (3) Religious and Political Authoritarianism, characterized by support for governance based on religious authority and skepticism toward democratic institutions. These findings underscore the need for counter-radicalization strategies that address moral disengagement, promote democratic values, and strengthen trust in democratic governance.

1. AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR will consider manuscripts in the English language concerning the underlying causes or consequences of aggressive, antisocial, and violent behavior.Both behavioral and neuro-physiological studies concerning the underpinnings of human and animal aggression will be considered, and articles that integrate the two approaches are particularly encouraged.The journal focuses on empirical studies, but broad theoretical reviews are also encouraged.

In the past five decades, a wealth of research has improved our understanding of the individual and sociocultural factors that contribute to sexual aggression perpetration. At the same time, epistemological differences in theoretical approaches to the subject (i.e., evolutionary, feminist) have stymied the study of the topic from multiple perspectives. Informed by feminist and evolutionary perspectives and research on individual differences, this study examined interactions between intermale status challenge and psychopathic personality traits on a laboratory analog of sexually aggressive behaviors among 139 heterosexual men (average 21 years old, 64% white, 26% Hispanic). Results suggest multiple pathways to sexual aggression, with the strongest evidence for the role of interpersonal-affective psychopathic traits in sexual aggression following a competition win, but not loss. Results are discussed to emphasize the importance of both individual-level variables and interpersonal social contexts in shaping sexual aggression behavior.

This study assesses whether the frequency of violent video game play is associated with attentional desensitization or sensitization to images depicting violence or nonviolent interpersonal conflict. Two hundred and thirty-two participants reported their three most frequently played video games and the amount of time each game was played in a typical week. Next, they completed an assessment of emotion-induced blindness, which refers to a reduction in the correct identification of a neutral target image when it follows an emotionally charged distractor image. The primary findings showed that weekly violent video game play was negatively associated with target identification following nonviolent interpersonal conflict images, but not violent images. Findings are discussed in terms of the saliency of threatening images and attentional processing.