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Lean Back and Relax: Reclined Seating Position Buffers the Effect of Frustration on Anger and Aggression

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Abstract

Frustration is a powerful instigator of anger-based aggression. We hypothesized that the impact of a frustration on anger and aggressive behavior is reduced in a state of feeling relaxed, which is considered incompatible with the experience of anger. Seventy-nine participants received frustrating feedback either when sitting upright or sitting in a reclined position and were then given a chance to act aggressively toward the frustrator. Feelings of anger and relaxation were assessed before and after the frustration. Participants in the reclined position felt more relaxed than those sitting upright, which indirectly predicted less aggressive behavior via lower anger. The results are consistent with theories of incompatible states and embodiment and have implications for using body-related cues to mitigate anger-based aggression.

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... By calmly and gently stroking and touching the antagonists, the thirdparties might elicit positive emotions in the antagonists. These positive affective states, such as feeling relaxed, that are incompatible with anger and aggression and will thus placate the antagonists (Krahé et al., 2018). This physical intimacy, sometimes between people who appear to be strangers, contrasts the usual rules of conduct in public places detailed by Goffman (2009). ...
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Objective: While previous research agrees that third-parties often manage to de-escalate interpersonal conflicts when they intervene, we still know little about how they achieve this influence. The aim of the present study is to address this gap in the literature by investigating how third-parties de-escalate conflicts. Method: We conduct a two-part qualitative analysis of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage of 48 real-life conflicts from the streets of Amsterdam. The first part consists of an inductive analysis of CCTV-footage investigating the typical sequence of de-escalatory interventions. The second part consists of a deductive coding based on the findings from part one of the analysis. Results: We identify an ideal-typical model of de-escalation consisting of three phases: Objection, separation, and placation. This model describes how third-parties adapt their intervention to the reaction of the antagonists of the conflict through a contingency principle: When the current phase of intervention fails to de-escalate the conflict, the third-party proceeds to the following phase of the model. We also identify observable intervention behaviors that are characteristic of each of the three phases. Conclusions: The findings demonstrate that there is not one way to de-escalate a conflict, but rather that third-parties are successful, because they adapt their intervention to the situation at hand. The findings of this study imply that if we want to get closer to understanding when third-party interventions are effective, we need to acknowledge the complexity of these interventions and move beyond the action/inaction dichotomy.
... Ramirez and Andreu (2006) point out that there is a relationship between some sub-psychological constructs of aggression, such as anger, hostility and impulsivity. According to Krahé et al (2018) there can be a variation of anger on a continuum of severity, ranging from subjective emotions and feelings of irritability to frustration and rage. Anger is also characterised by cognitive distortions, which are socially constructed and distorted schema or scripts and false beliefs (Pinkham et al, 2016). ...
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Abstract Background/Aims Studies have shown that some people diagnosed with schizophrenia are more predisposed to distress than others because of positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia, leading to aggressive and violent behaviour. Moreover, there is no conclusive evidence to substantiate the reasons for the causes of aggression and what suitable interventions can be used. The aim of this study was to explore evidence‑based literature through social cognitive theory to find effective strategies to manage aggression among patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Methods A background literature review search was conducted from the following databases: Medline, Cinhal and PsychInfo. The Boolean operator OR was used to search for Aggression OR Violence OR Cognitive theory OR Interventions OR Mental illness OR Schizophrenia OR Self-control OR Self-efficacy OR Social learning theory. Suitable papers were hand searched and seven papers were selected. Results Research studies are in favour of social cognitive interventions to manage aggression in patients with schizophrenia as they have fewer side effects and can be used alongside other pharmacological interventions as the second line of treatment. However, findings from these studies should be viewed with caution, resulting from the contradiction that still exists in whether psychotic symptoms are correlated to aggression and violent behaviours among patients with schizophrenia. Conclusions Social cognitive models can enable health care professionals to explore the causes of aggression from a broad perspective, using appropriate risk assessment tools to design appropriate strategies. Key words: Aggression; Cognitive theory; Interventions; Mental illness; Schizophrenia; Self-control; Self-efficacy; Social learning theory Submitted 14 January 2020: accepted following double-blind peer review: 15 June 2020
... Indeed, both retaliatory and displaced aggression have been consistently evidenced in prior empirical research. When compared to people who are not frustrated, frustrated people are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviors toward the original provocateur of the frustration (e.g., Breuer, Scharkow, & Quandt, 2015;Dill & Anderson, 1995;Krahé, Lutz, & Sylla, 2018) and even displace aggression toward an innocent target who is not responsible for the initial frustrating experience (e.g., Leander & Chartrand, 2017;Marcus-Newhall, Pedersen, Carlson, & Miller, 2000;Pedersen, Gonzales, & Miller, 2000;Reijntjes, Kamphuis, Thomaes, Bushman, & Telch, 2013). ...
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Thoroughly revised and updated, this third edition offers a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the social psychology of aggression, covering all the relevant major theories, individual differences, situational factors, and applied contexts. Understanding the causes, forms, and consequences of aggression and violence is critical for dealing with these harmful forms of social behavior. Addressing a range of sub-topics, the firstpart deals with the definition and measurement of aggression, presents major theories, examines the development of aggression and discusses individual and gender differences in aggressive behaviour. It covers the role of situational factors in eliciting aggression and the impact of exposure to violence in the media. The second part examines specific forms and manifestations of aggression, including chapters on aggression in everyday contexts and in the family, sexual aggression, intergroup aggression, and terrorism. The new edition also includes additional coverage of gender differences, gun violence, and terrorism, to reflect the latest research developments in the field. Alsodiscussing strategies for reducing and preventing aggression, this bookis essential reading for students and researchers in psychology and related disciplines, as well as practitioners andpolicy makers.
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This review examines the major cognitive/social approaches to reducing reactive aggression and their interdependency on neural mechanisms associated with arousal. According to psychological theory, physiological arousal serves as a nonspecific energizer of cognitively defined emotions. Physiological models emphasize a bottom-up approach, many higher cortical functions serve to reduce heightened arousal and these reductions are essential before cognitive techniques can modulate aggressive behavior. Higher cortical functions are associated with complex cognitive processes necessary for self-control, anticipating consequences, and behavioral inhibition. Heightened arousal interferes with cognitive performance; disinhibiting aggression and reinforcing behavior that reduces arousal. Studies manipulating empathy, humor and sexual content have demonstrated efficacy of incompatible responses to reduce anger and aggression, but when attributions are negative and arousal high all of these manipulations can increase chances of overt aggression. The incompatible response hypothesis is extended beyond empathy, humor, and sexual arousal to include relaxation techniques for prevention and control of aggression. Cognitive-behavioral therapeutic programs have successfully reduced aggression by combining relaxation, systematic desensitization, and biofeedback with cognitive restructuring and anger management training.
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It has long been a staple of psychological theory that early life experiences significantly shape the adult's understanding of and reactions to the social world. Here we consider how early concept development along with evolved motives operating early in life can come to exert a passive, unconscious influence on the human adult's higher-order goal pursuits, judgments, and actions. In particular, we focus on concepts and goal structures specialized for interacting with the physical environment (e.g., distance cues, temperature, cleanliness, and self-protection), which emerge early and automatically as a natural part of human development and evolution. It is proposed that via the process of scaffolding, these early sensorimotor experiences serve as the foundation for the later development of more abstract concepts and goals. Experiments using priming methodologies reveal the extent to which these early concepts serve as the analogical basis for more abstract psychological concepts, such that we come easily and naturally to speak of close relationships, warm personalities, moral purity, and psychological pain. Taken together, this research demonstrates the extent to which such foundational concepts are capable of influencing people's information processing, affective judgments, and goal pursuit, oftentimes outside of their intention or awareness.
Reducing aggression and conflict: The incompatible response approach, or, why people who feel good usually won't be bad
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