Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Schoolchildren: The Differences Between Face-to-Face and Online Contexts

While an increasing number of studies have examined schoolchildren with reactive and proactive aggression in face-to-face bullying scenarios, very few have specifically studied the relationship between face-to-face bullying and cyberbullying, and how schoolchildren with proactive and reactive aggression might act differently in person as opposed to online. This chapter starts with a review of the characteristics of the two subtypes of aggression, and the incentives behind the associated actions in face-to-face contexts. Individuals with proactive aggression often use aggressive acts to attain personal goals and rewards and may appear rational and calm when committing these acts. Individuals with reactive aggression pay close attention to the aggressive cues of others due to their hostile attributional bias and may react strongly to provocations and perceived threats. The author then provides an overview of how cyberbullying has been defined by scholars and how the actions of individuals with reactive and proactive aggression have been described in online contexts. It is suggested that individuals with aggression may behave and perceive aggressive acts differently online as opposed to in person, as the individuals can easily remain anonymous online. The reasons for the differences and similarities found in their actions and perceptions are discussed for both aggression subtypes, thereby elucidating the associations between face-to-face and online victimization. The implications for educators and practitioners in search of suitable interventions for reducing face-to-face and online aggression are also discussed. © 2024 by Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.