Abstract

This research investigates the emotional comprehension of children exhibiting aggressive behaviour in contrast with that of their age-matched peers. It aims to establish a correlation between indicators of emotional comprehension and various signs of aggressivity. To do so, the study follows a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational approach and has been conducted using a non-probabilistic sample of 102 children from various cities in the central region of Cuba, comprising 51 children who displayed aggressive behavior and 51 who did not. The Emotional Comprehension Test, the Little et al. Aggression Scale, and psycholog- ical interviews have been the primary data collection techniques used. Findings have revealed that children who displayed aggressive behaviour exhibited difficulties in developing emotional comprehension, while those who were not aggressive did not. Most indicators show notable differences in the development of empathy and mutual understanding, except for the external level of emotional comprehension and the children's conception of the possibility of feigning emotions. Emotional understanding has been shown to have a notable correlation with general manifestations of aggression, with a stronger connection observed for reactive-direct aggression and a weaker interrelation for instrumental aggression. These results emphasize the need to consider differential patterns between aggression variants concerning their association with emotional comprehension.