NCJ Number
212033
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 20 Issue: 4 Dated: August 2005 Pages: 455-469
Date Published
August 2005
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study tested hypotheses derived from an adaptation of state-trait anger theory and applied to anger while driving.
Abstract
Over the past decade, angry drivers have drawn considerable public and some scientific attention. Studies on what influences anger and aggression on the road have suggested personal characteristics as contributors. This study explored one such personal characteristic, trait driving anger or the individual’s tendency to become angry when driving. The study consisted of 160 students enrolled in introductory psychology at a State university in the Western United States. The study tested hypotheses from state-trait theory applied to anger while driving. The results indicate that drivers high in trait driving anger experienced more frequent anger while driving, supporting a 2003 frequency hypothesis. High trait driving anger students also reported more intense anger in day-to-day driving. The findings supported the intensity hypothesis, corroborated earlier research, and extended findings to interpersonal provocations on the road and to the individual’s worst sources of anger. The findings were consistent with state-trait theory and supported other hypotheses. In conclusion, college student drivers high in trait driving anger, compared to those low in trait driving anger, reported more frequent and intense driving-related anger, expressed that anger in more aggressive, less constructive ways, engaged in more aggressive and risky behavior, and experienced more general trait anger, impulsiveness, and poorer control of anger generally. Tables, references