The (Un)Acceptability of Violence against Peers and Dates

Abstract

Although violence has become an increasing concern, the motivations and justifications for such egregious behavior remain poorly understood. Two hundred and sixty-one college students completed questionnaires concerning acceptance of and participation in two kinds of violence—violence against peers and dating violence. Results indicate that although violence may be commonplace, it is still deemed unacceptable, especially when the violence is motivated by peers, personal disposition, or avoiding accountability. In contrast, violence is viewed as more acceptable when in response to provocation or in defense of oneself or another. Violence type affected acceptability, with date violence less acceptable than peer violence. A modest relation between violence and behavior was observed; those more accepting of violence were more likely to engage in violent behavior. The sex of the respondent and the sex of the aggressor influenced all the findings, suggesting that gender may moderate acceptance of violence and its relation to violent behavior.