The social capital perspective has proved to be useful in helping understand aggressive behavior and violence, though more research is recommended. The concept of social capital was chosen to review the literature on the effects of social environments on the development of physical aggression. Social capital is defined as interpersonal relationships that facilitate action. It represents an aspect of social reality that individuals or groups utilize as a resource in order to further their own interests and to achieve goals that would otherwise be beyond their reach. It can be claimed that many diverse forms of social capital exist and that these can be detected at different levels, ranging from centering on family, to the nation, region, or city as its unit of analysis. Moreover, social capital may exert different effects in different phases of development. It therefore, seems appropriate to reflect on how the different types of social capital might influence aggressive behavior at various ages. The different types of social capital examined include: the child welfare system, family social capital, school social capital, peer social capital, neighborhood social capital, and town and region. References