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Trait anger, neuroticism, and the hostile reaction to provocation: examining the hierarchical organization of affective traits in context

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Abstract

It has been suggested that the broad trait of neuroticism may predict the tendency to become aggressive when provoked. Based on functionalist theories of emotion, however, we suspected that only the more specific trait of anger would predict such tendencies. To test these competing predictions, two laboratory studies and one daily diary study were conducted. Consistent with functionalist accounts, trait anger consistently predicted the angry emotional and aggressive behavioral response to provocation, even after controlling for neuroticism. This was true in relation to laboratory-based provocations and in provocations experienced in daily life. Neuroticism only predicted a more diverse negative emotional reaction. It is therefore proposed that trait anger clearly elicits an angry emotional response, which directly motivates aggressive behavior. By contrast, neuroticism may lead to a very diverse reaction which elicits different and even contradictory behavioral tendencies.

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  1. Department of Psychology, University of Wyoming, Department 3415, 1000 E. University Ave., Laramie, WY, 82071, USA

    Elizabeth Ferguson Leki & Benjamin M. Wilkowski

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  1. Elizabeth Ferguson Leki
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  2. Benjamin M. Wilkowski
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Correspondence to Elizabeth Ferguson Leki.

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All procedures involving human participants performed in the current study were in accordance with ethical standards of the institution at which this research was conducted, the American Psychological Association, and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments.

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Leki, E.F., Wilkowski, B.M. Trait anger, neuroticism, and the hostile reaction to provocation: examining the hierarchical organization of affective traits in context. Motiv Emot 41, 713–729 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-017-9637-3

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