Citation

Veenstra L, Bushman BJ, Koole SL. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 2018; 19: 98-103.

Affiliation

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.014

PMID

29279231

Abstract

Some people are more prone to aggression than others. These individual differences are associated with trait anger, a personality dimension that relates to the frequency, intensity, and duration with which people experience angry feelings. Trait anger is an important antecedent of state anger and aggression. People with high trait anger tend to perceive situations as hostile and are less capable of controlling their hostile thoughts and feelings. Moreover, people with high trait anger display heightened approach motivation in threatening situations. This reactive approach motivation may be countered by avoidance states, which may reduce anger among high trait anger people. Insights into the underlying processes of trait anger may be used to combat human aggression.

Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Language: en