IntroductionWhen a teenage girl was stabbed to death by the 16-year-old boy whose prom invitation she had rejected, there was speculation about the role of rejection as trigger (e.g. (Associated Press, 2014). This is not the first time the media has hypothesized a link between social rejection and violence. Between 1995 and 2001, news reports of 15 school shootings mentioned rejection as a an important factor leading to violence: in at least 12 cases, the perpetrators were described as individuals who had suffered teasing or bullying, and many of the victims would have teased, mistreated or rejected the aggressor (Leary). (Kowalski, Smith, & Phillips, 2003). This relationship between rejection and violence, or rejection and aggression more broadly, remains poor. In the 12 months prior to the survey, 20.1% reported being bullied in school property, and 16.2% reported experiencing electronic bullying (e.g., via email, chat rooms, instant messaging, websites, or text messages) (Eaton et al., 2012). Furthermore, numerous longitudinal studies indicate that aggression tends to peak in adolescence and young adulthood (e.g. (Loeber & Hay, 1997; Nagin & Tremblay, 1999; Sampson & Laub, 2003), although developmental trajectories of aggression remain a subject of scientific study. Contrasting longitudinal findings suggest a more complex picture. To begin to clarify the increased tendency to behave aggressively and the potential pathways that facilitate adolescent aggression, the present review w... .. half of the document ...... aviors such. In contrast, relational aggression does occurs when the threat or harm is not physical in nature, but affects interpersonal relationships (Bailey & Ostrov, 2008), relational aggression uses an individual's relationship with another peer, or their friendship status , as a way to inflict harm (e.g. by excluding a peer from social activities). This form of aggression appears to occur more frequently than physical aggression (Prinstein et al., 2001). For this reason, it is important to focus empirical attention not only on direct forms of aggression, but also on more subtle forms that involve damage to relationships and threats to feelings of social connection, as well as the interaction between them..