Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

2013 Edition
| Editors: Marc D. Gellman, J. Rick Turner

Trait Anger

Reference work entry
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1005-9_854
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Synonyms

Hostile affect; Hostility

Definition

Trait anger is described as a dispositional characteristic where one experiences frequent anger, with varying intensity (e.g., mild irritability, intense rage), and is often accompanied by related negative emotions such as envy, resentment, hate, and disgust (Buss, 1961; Siegman & Smith, 1994). There is considerable construct overlap between hostile dispositions and trait anger, making it difficult to disentangle. Martin, Watson, and Wan (2000) have proposed a three-factor model of trait anger, which includes the anger-related affect, behavior (i.e., aggression), and cognitions (i.e., cynicism), similar to several of the subscales of the Cook-Medley Hostility Scale (Barefoot, Dodge, Peterson, Dahlstrom, & Williams, 1989). A frequently used measure of trait anger is the Spielberger State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI), which measures trait anger as having a proneness to experiencing anger either as a general tendency (Anger...

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References and Readings

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media, New York 2013

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Cousins Center for PsychoneuroimmunologyUniversity of CaliforniaLos AngelesUSA