An introduction to “fight-seeking,” and its role in peer-to-peer violence on college campuses

The aims of the present study were threefold: (1) to validate a new construct, “fight-seekers”—persons that initiate violence for neurobiological self-calming, (2) to explore differences in risk-taking and use of prevention practices in fight-seekers, and (3) to examine the influence of alcohol and peer influences on fight-seeking behavior. The sample consisted of 451 college students, with 35 being identified as fight-seekers. The fight-seekers were predominantly male, tended to fight when drunk, with friends who seek out fights, and with others who were drunk; usually in public settings with strangers, and often for the purpose of “self-calming.” Fight-seekers fought three times as frequently as non-fight-seekers as well. Overall, the present findings provide support for the validity of the fight-seeking construct, as the fight-seeker group displayed a distinct pattern of violent behavior, in fighting frequency and intensity, as well as in the lack of prevention technique usage.