Understanding the phenomenon of violence among young people in particular at school, has become a major challenge in the majority of western societies. This understanding comes from the observation of aggressive behaviours and their underlying factors. From biological to social, from individual to environmental, the causes put forward are numerous, as are the psychosocial theories that support them. In this article, we explore the social and, above all, cultural origins of these behaviours. Cultural factures appear to affect the socialization process, interpersonal relationships and to influence the manifestation of aggressive behaviours as well as the forms they take. Intercultural comparisons of social and “antisocial behaviours” should help identify whether there are specific socialization processes in each society that could be at the origin of aggressiveness.

Studies of these processes in this comparative perspective should reveal existing links between the characteristics of society and the social behaviours of the individuals within that society. This article presents a body of research concerning this type of influence while stressing the complexity and the multicultural composition of several societies. We are presenting a synthesis of this body of work. First we present research that provides an understanding of how culture influences social relationships among children. We then focus on a comparative study of aggressiveness in different cultures. Furthermore, we emphasize the methodological challenges related to intercultural comparisons of violent behaviour during childhood.