Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
https://trends.org.br/article/doi/10.1590/2237-6089-2014-0004
Trends in Psychiatry and Psychotherapy
Original Article

Emotional dimensions in people with aggressive behavior: differential responses to affective visual stimuli

Dimensões emocionais em pessoas com comportamento agressivo: diferentes respostas a estímulos visuais

Carlos Gantiva; Erwin Estupiñan; Ingrid Montaña; María Sierra; Eva Zocadegui; Tania Romo-González

Downloads: 0
Views: 302

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The emotional interaction between personal attributes and the environment is a key element to understand aggression. This study identified emotional responses of people with different aggressive traits to pictures with a specific affective content.METHODS:Three hundred fifteen individuals were divided into five groups according to their scores on the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, which consists of 24 pictures of the International Affective Picture System that depict aggression, the suffering of others, filial situations, and sexual content. Each picture was evaluated for valence, arousal, and dominance using the Self-Assessment Manikin scale.RESULTS:Sexual pictures were more appetitive and associated with more arousal in the groups of individuals with some aggression-related dimension than in the non-aggressive group.CONCLUSIONS: A strong interaction was found between aggressive traits (e.g., verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger, and hostility) and pictures with a sexual content. This interaction is decisive in understanding the later phases of aggressive behaviors and sexual aggression.

Keywords

Emotions, aggression, motivation, sexual violence, arousal

Resumo

INTRODUÇÃO:A interação emocional entre atributos pessoais e o ambiente é um elemento fundamental para o entendimento da agressão. O objetivo deste estudo é identificar as respostas emocionais de pessoas com diferentes traços de agressividade para a exposição a figuras com conteúdo afetivo diverso.MÉTODOS:Trezentos e quinze indivíduos foram divididos em cinco grupos de acordo com seus resultados no questionário Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, que consiste de 24 figuras do Sistema Internacional de Figuras com Conteúdo Emocional, mostrando agressão, sofrimento alheio, cenas entre pais e filhos e com conteúdo sexual. Cada figura foi avaliada quanto às dimensões de prazer, alerta e dominância usando a escala Self-Assessment Manikin.RESULTADOS: As figuras com conteúdo sexual foram mais apetitivas, e foram relacionadas a maior reposta de alerta nos grupos de indivíduos com alguma dimensão associada à agressão quando comparados ao grupo não agressivo.CONCLUSÕES:Encontrou-se uma forte interação entre traços agressivos (e.g., agressão verbal, agressão física, raiva e hostilidade) e figuras com conteúdo sexual. Essa interação é decisiva para o entendimento das fases tardias dos comportamentos agressivos e a agressão sexual.

Palavras-chave

Emoções, agressão, motivação, violência sexual, alerta

References

Duxbury J. An evaluation of staff and patient views of and strategies employed to manage inpatient aggression and violence on one mental health unit: a pluralistic design. J Psychiatr Ment Health Nurs.. 2002;9:325-37.

Paterson B, Bowie V, Miller G, Leadbetter D. Reframing the problem of violence towards mental health nurses: a work in progress. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2010;56:310-20.

Sutton D, Wilson M, Van Kessel K, Vanderpyl J. Optimizing arousal to manage aggression: a pilot study of sensory modulation. Int J Ment Health Nurs.. 2013;22:500-11.

Anderson CA, Bushman BJ. Human aggression. Annu Rev Psychol.. 2002;53:27-51.

Roberton T, Daffern M, Bucks RS. Emotional regulation and aggression. Aggress Violent Behav.. 2012;17:72-82.

Lang PJ. Emotion and motivation: toward consensus definitions and a common research purpose. Emot Rev.. 2010;2:229-33.

Bradley M, Lang P. Emotion and motivation. The Handbook of Psychophysiology. 2007.

Bradley MM. Natural selective attention: orienting and emotion. Psychophysiology. 2009;46:1-11.

Gantiva C, Guerra P, Vila J. Validación colombiana del sistema internacional de imágenes afectivas: evidencias del origen transcultural de la emoción. Act Colom Psicol.. 2011;14:103-11.

Gratz KL, Tull MT. Emotion regulation as a mechanism of change in acceptance- and mindfulness-based treatments. Assessing mindfulness and acceptance: Illuminating the processes of change. 2010.

Kashdan TB, Barrios V, Forsyth JP, Steger MF. Experiential avoidance as a generalized psychological vulnerability: comparisons with coping and emotion regulation strategies. Behav Res Ther.. 2006;44:1301-20.

Joyce CJ, Dillane J, Vasquez EA. The role of anger in offending: a grounded theory analysis of mentally disordered patients. J Forens Psychiatry Psychol.. 2013;24:247-68.

Norström T, Pape H. Alcohol, suppressed anger and violence. Addiction. 2010;105:1580-6.

Sullivan TN, Helms SW, Kliewer W, Goodman KL. Associations between Sadness and Anger Regulation Coping, Emotional Expression, and Physical and Relational Aggression among Urban Adolescents. Soc Dev.. 2010;19:30-51.

Wilkowski BM, Robinson MD. The anatomy of anger: an integrative cognitive model of trait anger and reactive aggression. Pers Individ Dif.. 2010;78:9-38.

Reuter M, Netter P, Janke W. Personality and reciprocal inhibition theory: the link between aggression and sexual reactivity. Pers Individ Dif.. 2003;35:1765-82.

Buss AH, Perry M. The aggression questionnaire. J Pers Soc Psychol.. 1992;63:452-9.

Andreu-Rodríguez JM, Peña-Fernández ME, Graña-Giómez JL. Adaptación psicométrica de la versión española del cuestionario de agresión. Psicothema. 2002;14:476-82.

Lang PJ, Bradley MM, Cuthbert BN. International affective picture system (IAPS): affective ratings of pictures and instruction manual. Technical Report A-8. 2008.

Dufey M, Fernández AM, Mayol R. Adding support to cross-cultural emotional assessment: validation of the International Affective Picture System in a Chilean sample. Univ Psychol.. 2011;10:521-33.

Vila J, Sánchez M, Ramírez I, Fernández MC, Cobos P, Rodríguez S. El Sistema Internacional de Imágenes Afectivas (IAPS): adaptación española. Segunda parte. Rev Psicol Gen Apl.. 2001;54:635-57.

Eysenck HJ. Sex and personality. 1976.

Eysenck HJ, Eysenck SB. Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (adult and junior). 1975.

Geniole SN, Carré JM, McCormick CM. State, not trait, neuroendocrine function predicts costly reactive aggression in men after social exclusion and inclusion. Biol Psychol.. 2011;87:137-45.

Montoya ER, Terbug D, Bos PA, van Honk J. Testosterone, cortisol, and serotonin as key regulators of social aggression: A review and theoretical perspective. Motiv Emot.. 2012;36:65-73.

Sánchez-Martín JR, Azurmendi A, Pascual-Sagastizabal E, Cardas J, Braza F, Braza P. Androgen levels and anger and impulsivity measures as predictors of physical, verbal and indirect aggression in boys and girls. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2011;36:750-60.

Wilson GD. Gender differences in sexual fantasy: an evolutionary analysis. Pers Individ Dif.. 1997;22:27-31.

Whitaker JL, Bushman BJ. "Remain Calm. Be Kind." Effects of relaxing video games on aggressive and prosocial behavior. Soc Psychol Personal Sci.. 2012;3:88-92.

616b141aa953952e475ce982 trends Articles
Links & Downloads

Trends Psychiatry Psychother

Share this page
Page Sections