Verbal Aggressiveness Exploration through Complete Social Network Analysis: Using Physical Education Students’ Class as an Illustration

Abstract

Aim of this study: is a) to detect informal structures (power and position in structures of targeting of verbal aggression) among higher education students, b) to analyze determinants of these structural properties, and c) to propose a typology of verbal aggression targets. Complete network analysis was applied on a sample of a 53 students in Physical Education Faculty, Thessaly University, Greece. Four network analysis algorithms were used: in-degree, Katz status, pagerank, authority. Non-network and network determinants of being target of verbal aggressiveness were analyzed. Gender (particularly femaleness), high grade of school graduation and parents education level protect from verbal aggressiveness while interest in postgraduate study seems to provoke criticism. Ignoring public opinion and intimacy with many "close friends" are positively correlated with verbal aggressiveness. Young (and not old-fashioned) appearance, imposing and eccentric appearance characteristics seem to protect against verbal aggressiveness. Big corporal size, dark skin colors seem to provoke insults in case of female students. Eminent economic state is also provocative as it implies pretentiousness. Phone verbal aggressiveness appears mainly among male students. Eminent qualities such as "good friend", "desirable partner" etc make someone an eminent target for verbal aggressiveness. Verbal aggressiveness presents a catholic character and thus seems to be destructive and not constructive. Intellectual abilities (weaknesses) constitute a verbal aggressiveness target core. The following types of verbal aggressiveness targets are proposed: a) the "general "black sheep"", b) the "contemptible type", c) the "bagger" type, d) the "victim of mockers" and e) the "victim of serial criticizers".

Typology of Motivation and Aggression on the Basis of Social Network Variables: Examples of Complementary and Nested Behavioral Types through Conventional Statistics

“…Coefficients higher than 0.300 were considered for extracting typology, as this is considered to yields balanced results (enough parameters to construct types but not so many that it would decrease their explanatory value and make them only descriptive) [28] [53] [54]. This technique is mostly appropriate for extracting general typology (in contrast, for example, to stepwise multivariate analysis which is more appropriate for examining variables in relation to a specific one considered as dependent).…”

Machiavellianism in Universities: Perceiving Exploitation in Student Networks

“…The network-related part of the questionnaire was based on previous tested questionnaires [22] [30]. Questions relevant to Machiavellianism were converted from psychometric from into network form.…”

Suggesting Indicators of Superficiality and Purity in Verbal Aggressiveness: An Application in Adult Education Class Networks of Prison Inmates

“…Status and pagerank depict hierarchical situations emerging through successively accumulated or distributed influence of a particular relation from node to node. Authority points out the eminence level (qualified competitiveness) of each node in attractiveness in a particular type of relation [17] [19]. In general, these classical four indicators measure received actions (in contrast to outdegree), and their formulas of these classical four indicators which are as a rule scaled in %, are well-known and easily to be found in numerous articles and websites.…”