Self esteem and its Relationship with Aggressive Behavior among a Sample of Fourth Year Middle School Students

This stu dy examines the relationship between self esteem and aggressive behavior among 4th year middle school students. Aggression, which is common during adolescence, can manifest in various forms physical, verbal, and emotional and may be influenced by an indivi dual’s self perception. The main objective is to assess the extent to which low self esteem is linked to increased aggression, while also observing gender differences. To achieve this, a descriptive correlational method was adopted with a sample of 153 stu dents (71 boys and 82 girls) from a middle school in the commune of Berrika, Batna province. Two tools were used: Maliji Bada’s Aggression Scale (1996) and Coopersmith’s Self Esteem Inventory. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between self esteem and aggression, suggesting that students with high self esteem are less aggressive. Furthermore, boys were found to be more aggressive than girls. These findings highlight the importance of fostering self esteem as a means of reducing aggressi ve behavior among adolescents.