Inducing sadness reduces anger-driven aggressive behavior: A situational approach to aggression control.

Abstract

Objective:The incompatible response hypothesis states that inducing incompatible emotional states mitigates the effect of situational risk factors on aggressive behavior. The current study extended this approach to situated aggression control to withdrawal-related negative emotions. We proposed that even a negative affective state can be incompatible with aggression if its basic motivational orientation counteracts the approach orientation underlying anger and aggression. Specifically, we predicted that although it is inherently negative, sadness may reduce anger-driven aggressive behavior. Method: An experiment was conducted (N ϭ 149) in which half the participants were angered by means of a frustrating number-sequences task, whereas the other half were asked to engage in a similar but nonfrustrating task. To counteract anger-driven aggressive behavior, sadness was induced in half the participants by asking them to recall a sad personal episode. Participants in the no-sadness group recalled an affectively neutral episode. Finally, participants were asked to choose the difficulty level of the number sequences that would ostensibly be assigned to future participants, with the number of difficult sequences chosen indicating the strength of the aggressive response. Results: As predicted, the induction of sadness buffered anger-related aggressive behavior. Anger translated into aggression in the control condition but not in the sadness condition. The aggression-inhibiting effect of the experience of sadness was found to be driven by the compensating coactivation of anger and sadness. Conclusions: The results support the extension of the incompatible response hypothesis to withdrawal-related negative emotions and shed further light on the underlying processes.

Identifying the emotions behind apologies for severe transgressions

“…This interpretation is consistent with research indicating that people do preferentially pursue negative emotional experiences for utilitarian purposes (e.g., Riediger et al, 2009) and that affective experiences are commonly attributed to unrelated stimuli (e.g., Payne et al, 2005). However, experimental work indicates that induced sadness can reduce the effects of anger on antisocial behaviors (i.e., aggression; Lutz & Krahé, 2018;Zhan et al, 2015). As such, clinical researchers may find the development of such experimental inductions into clinical interventions for those prone to antisocial behaviors that place an emphasis on low-arousal tolerance a fruitful area for future research.…”

“…Anger's negative impact on the likelihood of apology is consistent with prior work indicating other-blame as a crucial feature of anger (e.g., Ben-Zur & Breznitz, 1991;Levine, 1996;Vansteelandt & Van Mechelen, 2006). Our findings are also consistent with recent research indicating that anger alone predicts selfish outcomes in social moral dilemmas, but that similar levels of sadness and anger are more closely linked to selfless outcomes (Lutz & Krahé, 2018;Plaks et al, 2021). These findings considered jointly yield an important insight into the emotional substrates of apologizing.…”

Uncovering Hidden Anger in the Psalms Using Psychological Models of Anger

“…Anger is a precursor to aggression or a tendency toward it (Berkowitz, 2012, pp. 325–326; Lutz & Krahé, 2018, p. 358). Outright expressions of aggressive anger are not seen in the psalms discussed here, but seven markers will be discussed as indicators of underlying anger.…”

Situational factors and mechanisms in pathways to violence.

“…The motivational pathways to perpetrator anger and aggression is the core focus of Lutz and Krahé’s (2018) experimental study. Through the use of a sadness recall manipulation following an aggression-inducing exercise among the intervention group, they show that even negative affective states are incompatible with aggressive intent, thus highlighting the cognitive complexity and affective contingencies inherent in perpetrating violence.…”