Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Department Of Clinical Psychology. Kharazmi University.Karaj.Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

3 Bachelor of Psychology, Department of Psychology, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

10.22055/psy.2023.40521.2836

Abstract

Introduction
Anger is one of the most basic emotions in human beings. Psychologists regard anger as a normal and typically healthy emotion with evolutionary functions that is occasionally experienced by human beings. The way anger is experienced or expressed is important because uncontrolled anger will negatively impact not only people's social or personal well-being but also their relationships with others. Several factors can influence the way anger is expressed or experienced. Anger experience and its expression are distinct concepts. Anger experience refers to the emotional state that one feels. On the other hand, anger expression refers to the behavioral dimension, which is one’s way of dealing with the feeling of anger The aim of this study is discriminant analysis of personality characteristics (the Big Five personality traits) in determining the styles of the experience and expression of anger (State anger, Trait anger, Anger expression-out (AX-O), Anger expression-in (AX-I), Anger control-out (AC-O), and anger control-in (AC-I)).
 
Method
Population in the study included people over 18 years old. 241 participants (women = 149, men = 92) were selected using the convenience sampling method. To collect data, the Short Form NEO personality inventory & State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory 2 (STAXI-2) questionnaires were used. Date were analyzed using discriminant analysis and Variance Analysis.
Results
Results revealed that, among the Big 5 Personality Traits, four traits—neuroticism (λ=.666), conscientiousness (λ=.715), extroversion (λ=.758), and agreeableness (.795), respectively were able to discriminate individuals significantly on the basis of their anger experience and expression styles. However, Openness to Experience (λ=.928) was not significantly related to the dependent variable.
 
Discussion
Based on the results, one can conclude that individual differences in personality characteristics influence the way people experience and express anger. Personality traits are among the factors influencing the way anger is expressed and experienced. As the development of personality traits begins early in childhood and such traits are supposed to remain constant all through the individual's life, it's important for parents and educators to take into account the role personality traits (the Five Big personality factors) can play in the wide negative ramifications brought about by the unhealthy manifestations of anger. Parents and educators are thus recommended to make use of the theoretical knowledge and empirical findings to help develop adaptive personality traits in children and reduce the negative impacts caused by inappropriate ways of experiencing and expressing anger. These findings can help clinical psychologists develop intervention programs based on the Five Big Personality Factors to help prevent the harms created by the unhealthy ways of the manifestation of anger.

Keywords

Ābele, L., Haustein, S., Møller, M., & Zettler, I. (2020). Links between observed and self-reported driving anger, observed and self-reported aggressive driving, and personality traits. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 140, 105516. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.aap.2020.105516
Albayrak, B., & Kutlu, Y. (2009). Anger expression and related factors in adolescents. MU Nursing Science and Art E-Journal, 2(3), 57-69.
Anderson, C. A., Berkowitz, L., Donnerstein, E., Huesmann, L. R., Johnson, J. D., Linz, D., ... & Wartella, E. (2003). The influence of media violence on youth. Psychological Science in The Public Interest, 4(3), 81-110.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2003.pspi_1433.x
Apalkova, Y., Butovskaya, M. L., Shackelford, T. K., & Fink, B. (2021). Personality, aggression, sensation seeking, and hormonal responses to challenge in Russian alpinists and special operation forces. Personality and Individual Differences, 169, 110238. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.paid.2020.110238
Asgari, M., Alizadeh, H., Kazemi, M. (2016). The effectiveness of training forgiveness therapy on controlling anger of students, Psychological Achievements, 23(1), 155-174. https://doi.org/10.22055/psy.2016.12362 [Persian]
Barlett, C. P., & Anderson, C. A. (2012). Direct and indirect relations between the Big 5 personality traits and aggressive and violent behavior. Personality and Individual Differences, 52(8), 870-875. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.01.029
Berkout, O. V., Tinsley, D., & Flynn, M. K. (2019). A review of anger, hostility, and aggression from an ACT perspective. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 11, 34-43. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jcbs.2018.12.001
Bettencourt, B., Talley, A., Benjamin, A. J., & Valentine, J. (2006). Personality and aggressive behavior under provoking and neutral conditions: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 132(5), 751-777. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0033-2909.132.5.751
Bridewell, W. B., & Chang, E. C. (1997). Distinguishing between anxiety, depression, and hostility: Relations to anger-in, anger-out, and anger control. Personality and Individual Differences, 22(4), 587-590. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/S0191-8869(96)00224-3
Bujor, L., & Turliuc, M. N. (2020). The personality structure in the emotion regulation of sadness and anger. Personality and Individual Differences, 162, 109999. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.paid.2020.109999
Burton, L. A., Hafetz, J., & Henninger, D. (2007). Gender differences in relational and physical aggression. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 35(1), 41-50. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.2224/sbp.2007.35.1.41
Cassiello-Robbins, C., & Barlow, D. H. (2016). Anger: The unrecognized emotion in emotional disorders. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 23(1), 66-85. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/cpsp.12139
Cattell, R. B., & Scheier, I. H. (1961). The meaning and measurement of neuroticism and anxiety. Ronald.
Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Furnham, A. (2008). Personality, intelligence and approaches to learning as predictors of academic performance. Personality and Individual Differences, 44(7), 1596-1603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2008.01.003
Chida, Y., & Steptoe, A. (2009). The association of anger and hostility with future coronary heart disease: A meta-analytic review of prospective evidence. Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 53(11), 936-946. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2008.11.044
Cooper, C. (2012). Individual differences (Vol. 2). London: Arnold. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203785218
Cooper, K., & Edmonton, A. H. (2002). Pedagogical responses to expressions of anger and sorrow: Sensible reflection. The Teacher Educator, 38(1), 1-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/08878730209555303
Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1992). The five-factor model of personality and its relevance to personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 6, 343-343. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1521/pedi.1992.6.4.343
David, J. P., Green, P. J., Martin, R., & Suls, J. (1997). Differential roles of neuroticism, extraversion, and event desirability for mood in daily life: An integrative model of top-down and bottom-up influences. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73(1), 149-159. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-3514.73.1.149
Deffenbacher, J. L. (2011). Cognitive-behavioral conceptualization and treatment of anger. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice, 18(2), 212-221. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.cbpra.2009.12.004
Dierk, J. M., Conradt, M., Rauh, E., Schlumberger, P., Hebebrand, J., & Rief, W. (2006). What determines well-being in obesity? Associations with BMI, social skills, and social support. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 60(3), 219-227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.06.083
Eckhardt, C., Norlander, B., & Deffenbacher, J. (2004). The assessment of anger and hostility: A critical review. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 9(1), 17-43. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/S1359-1789(02)00116-7
Egan, V., & Campbell, V. (2009). Sensational interests, sustaining fantasies and personality predict physical aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 47(5), 464-469. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2009.04.021
Fernandez, E., Day, A., & Boyle, G. J. (2015). Measures of anger and hostility in adults. In Measures of personality and social psychological constructs (pp. 74-100). Academic Press. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/B978-0-12-386915-9.00004-8
Gan, Y., Liu, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2004). Flexible coping responses to severe acute respiratory syndrome‐related and daily life stressful events. Asian Journal of Social Psychology, 7(1), 55-66. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1467-839X.2004.00134.x
Giegling, I., Olgiati, P., Hartmann, A. M., Calati, R., Möller, H. J., Rujescu, D., & Serretti, A. (2009). Personality and attempted suicide. Analysis of anger, aggression and impulsivity. Journal of Psychiatric Research, 43(16), 1262-1271. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychires.2009.04.013
Habibpoor, K., & Safari, R. (2011). A comprehensive guide to using SPSS in survey research (Third edition). Tehran: The thinkers publication. [Persian]
Jensen-Campbell, L. A., Knack, J. M., Waldrip, A. M., & Campbell, S. D. (2007). Do big five personality traits associated with self-control influence the regulation of anger and aggression? Journal of Research in Personality, 41(2), 403-424. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.jrp.2006.05.001
Jeronimus, B. F., Riese, H., Sanderman, R., & Ormel, J. (2014). Mutual reinforcement between neuroticism and life experiences: a five-wave, 16-year study to test reciprocal causation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(4), 751-764. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0037009
Jones, R. M., Van Den Bree, M., Zammit, S., & Taylor, P. J. (2022). The relationship between the Big Five personality factors, anger-hostility, and alcohol and violence in men and women: a nationally representative cohort of 15,701 young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 37(11-12), NP8559-NP8581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260520978178
Kısaç, İ. (1999). Continuous anger and the ways of anger expression of students. Vocational Education Journal, 1(1), 63-74.
Lee, S. A., & Dow, G. T. (2011). Malevolent creativity: Does personality influence malicious divergent thinking? Creativity Research Journal, 23(2), 73-82. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/10400419.2011.571179
Li, S., Zhang, T., Liu, N., Zhang, W., Tao, D., & Wang, Z. (2020). Drivers’ attitudes, preference, and acceptance of in-vehicle anger intervention systems and their relationships to demographic and personality characteristics. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 75, 102899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2019.102899
Martin, R., Wan, C. K., David, J. P., Wegner, E. L., Olson, B. D., & Watson, D. (1999). Style of anger expression: Relation to expressivity, personality, and health. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 25(10), 1196-1207. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0146167299258002
McCrae, R. R., & John, O. P. (1992). An introduction to the five‐factor model and its applications. Journal of Personality, 60(2), 175-215. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6494.1992.tb00970.x
Meier, B. P., & Robinson, M. D. (2004). Does quick to blame mean quick to anger? The role of agreeableness in dissociating blame and anger. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 30(7), 856-867. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0146167204264764
Miller, J. D., Zeichner, A., & Wilson, L. F. (2012). Personality correlates of aggression: Evidence from measures of the five-factor model, UPPS model of impulsivity, and BIS/BAS. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(14), 2903-2919. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0886260512438279
Moghadasin, M. (2019). Prediction of anger expression of individuals with psychiatric disorders using the developed computational codes based on the various soft computing algorithms. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 22, E62. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1017/sjp.2019.59
Moghadasin, M., & Asghari Moghaddam, M. A. (2011). Evaluation of the factor structure (confirmatory) of the Persian version of the STAXI-2 state-tarit anger expression trait in the clinical population. Educational Measurement Quarterly, 1(4), 1-42. [Persian]
Norris, C. J., Larsen, J. T., & Cacioppo, J. T. (2007). Neuroticism is associated with larger and more prolonged electrodermal responses to emotionally evocative pictures. Psychophysiology, 44(5), 823-826. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.2007.00551.x
Novaco, R. W. (2011). Anger dysregulation: Driver of violent offending. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology, 22(5), 650-668. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1080/14789949.2011.617536
Ode, S., Robinson, M. D., & Wilkowski, B. M. (2008). Can one’s temper be cooled? A role for agreeableness in moderating neuroticism’s influence on anger and aggression. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(2), 295-311. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.jrp.2007.05.007
Özyeşil, Z. (2012). Five factor personality traits as predictor of trait anger and anger expression. Education & Science/Egitim ve Bilim, 37(163), 1-10.
Pease, C. R., & Lewis, G. J. (2015). Personality links to anger: Evidence for trait interaction and differentiation across expression style. Personality and Individual Differences, 74, 159-164. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.paid.2014.10.018
Pfeiler, T. M., Weber, H., & Kubiak, T. (2018). Experiencing anger in a social interaction: The role of personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 132, 45-51. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/j.paid.2018.04.045
Pimple, P., Shah, A., Rooks, C., Bremner, J. D., Nye, J., Ibeanu, I., ... & Vaccarino, V. (2015). Association between anger and mental stress–induced myocardial ischemia. American Heart Journal, 169(1), 115-121. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.ahj.2014.07.031
Roccas, S., Sagiv, L., Schwartz, S. H., & Knafo, A. (2002). The big five personality factors and personal values. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 28(6), 789-801. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0146167202289008
Sanz, J., Garcia-Vera, M. P., & Magán, I. (2010). Anger and hostility from the perspective of the Big Five personality model. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 51(3), 262-270. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1467-9450.2009.00771.x
Sârbescu, P., Costea, I., & Rusu, S. (2012). Using the alternative Five Factor Personality Model to explain driving anger expression. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 33, 273-277. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.01.126
Schouwenburg, H. C. (1995). Personality and academic competence. Paper presented at the Poster presented at the 7th Meeting of the International Society for Study of Individual Differences, Warsaw, Poland.
Sharpe, J. P., & Desai, S. (2001). The revised neo personality inventory and the mmpi-2 psychopathology five in the prediction of aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 31(4), 505-518. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1016/S0191-8869(00)00155-0
Shaver, P. R., & Brennan, K. A. (1992). Attachment styles and the" Big Five" personality traits: Their connections with each other and with romantic relationship outcomes. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 18(5), 536-545. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/0146167292185003
Skeem, J. L., Miller, J. D., Mulvey, E., Tiemann, J., & Monahan, J. (2005). Using a five-factor lens to explore the relation between personality traits and violence in psychiatric patients. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 73(3), 454-465. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0022-006X.73.3.454
Spielberger, C. D. (1966). Theory and research on anxiety. Anxiety and behavior. New York: Academic press.
Spielberger C. D. (1999). STAXI–2: State-trait anger expression inventory–2: Professional manual. Odessa, FL: Psychological Assessment Resources.
Spielberger, C. D., Krasner, S. S., & Solomon, E. P. (1988). The experience, expression, and control of MP Janisse MP. Health Psychology: Individual Difference and Stress, 89-108.
Spielberger, C. D., & Reheiser, E. C. (2009). Assessment of emotions: Anxiety, anger, depression, and curiosity. Applied Psychology: Health and WellBeing, 1(3), 271-302. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1111/j.1758-0854.2009.01017.x
Spielberger, C. D., Sydeman, S. J., Owen, A. E., & Marsh, B. J. (1999). Measuring anxiety and anger with the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Spielberger, C. D., Butcher, J. N., & Spielberger, C. D. (2013). Advances in Personality Assessment: Volume 5. Routledge.
Veenstra, L., Bushman, B. J., & Koole, S. L. (2018). The facts on the furious: a brief review of the psychology of trait anger. Current Opinion in Psychology, 19, 98-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2017.03.014
Dam, V. H., Hjordt, L. V., da Cunha‐Bang, S., Sestoft, D., Knudsen, G. M., & Stenbæk, D. S. (2021). Trait aggression is associated with five‐factor personality traits in males. Brain and behavior, 11(7), e02175. doi: 10.1002/brb3.2175
Shahisadrabadi, F., Khosravi, Z., Rahmatinejad, P., & Yazdi, M. (2020). The experience of the anger in individual with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Psychological Achievements, 27(2), 171-192. https://doi.org/10.22055/psy.2020.33207.2532 [Persian]
Le, D. T., Huynh, S. V., Vu, T. V., Dang-Thi, N. T., Nguyen-Duong, B. T., Duong, K. A., ... & Tran-Chi, V. L. (2023). Personality traits and aggressive behavior in Vietnamese adolescents. Psychology research and behavior management, 1987-2003. DOI: 10.2147/PRBM.S405379
Zaki, F. M., Chintya, T., & Andini, S. (2024). The relationship between the personality types of neuroticism and agreeableness with the tendency of verbal aggression behavior in high school students it al-halimiyah east Jakarta. European Journal of Psychological Research, 11(1).
Luo, X., Ge, Y., & Qu, W. (2023). The association between the Big Five personality traits and driving behaviors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Accident Analysis & Prevention, 183, 106968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aap.2023.106968