Aggression, in all its forms, is any behaviour intended to cause harm to another person, who would rather avoid such treatment.
Direct aggression is aggressive behaviour overtly directed at it’s intended victim by the perpetrator themselves. Think of violent crimes such as armed robbery and assaults. A school bully attacking someone’s self esteem in front of their peers is another example.
Indirect aggression occurs when the aggressor uses behaviour that causes another harm, but does not face the victim directly. Relational aggression is a common example. When someone spreads lies or starts false rumours about someone, hoping that other people will turn against the victim, the aggression is indirect.
All aggression is intended to cause someone harm. But as you can see from my examples, there are plenty of ways to victimize people.
