Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate adolescents’ descriptions of responses to provocation within same- and mixed-gender peer dyads. We examined (1) the types of provocations youth described, (2) the types of responses desired and enacted following these provocations, and (3) the reasons youth described for enacting or not enacting their responses to provocations. Ninety-six adolescents (M age = 15.9 years; 49 girls) from an urban sample in Colombia were interviewed about two experiences in which they were provoked by a peer (one when they forgave the offender and one when they did not). Generally, analyses failed to reveal significant gender effects for many types of provocations, responses, and reasons. However, some of the notable gender effects included: provocations related to physical attributes were most often described in mixed-gender dyads. Boys reported general offensive behaviours, whereas girls reported more gendered provocations. Participants identified girls as engaging in relationship based provocations. Boys described more retaliatory responses in same-gender dyads, but used avoidance strategies in mixed-gender dyads; whereas girls described more powerless responses in cross-gender dyads, and more withdrawal strategies in same-gender dyads. Male participants enacted retaliatory responses more often compared to girls, especially within same-gender dyads. These findings were sometimes qualified by event type (i.e., forgiveness vs. nonforgiveness). Reasons for enacting or eschewing responses to provocations were overall consistent with gendered patterns observed in previous research on cultures of honour. Findings provide information on the prevalence and influence of gendered beliefs, norms, and behaviors in youths’ experiences of conflict resolution.