Year
2016
Season
Summer
Paper Type
Master's Thesis
College
College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Psychology
NACO controlled Corporate Body
University of North Florida. Department of Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Curtis Phills
Second Advisor
Dr. Angela Mann
Department Chair
Dr. Lori Lange
College Dean
Dr. Barbara A. Hetrick
Abstract
Opportunities for aggression occur frequently and unpredictably, but little research to our knowledge has investigated the impact of the mere presence of multiple opportunities on aggression over time. Two studies, one with a Canadian sample (163 participants) and one with an American sample (103 participants) were conducted to analyze the impact of the number of opportunities for aggression on justified and unjustified aggressive thoughts, behaviors, and motivations. Individually, these studies yielded the result that justified aggression remains stable over time, but that unjustified aggression decreases when an individual is given multiple opportunities. Combined, they indicated that justified aggression increased when participants had a second opportunity. Future research is proposed to understand the impact of moral licensing on aggression over time, and to understand why unjustified aggression occurs.
Suggested Citation
Hull, Kristen Nicole, "The Impact of Multiple Opportunities for Aggression on Aggressive Thoughts, Behaviors, and Motivations" (2016). UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 642.
https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/etd/642