On the formation and regulation of anger and aggression: A cognitive-neoassociationistic analysis.

Berkowitz, Leonard

doi:10.1037/0003-066x.45.4.494

Cited by 960 publications

(816 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The Stein and Levine (1989, 1990) emphasis on the perceived possibility of goal restoration as an anger determinant is obviously very similar to the notion advanced by many emotions researchers (e.g., Ellsworth & Smith, 1988;Lazarus, 1991;Roseman et al, 1996;Scherer, 1993Scherer, , 1999Scherer, , 2001a) that perceived coping potential is one of the components in the anger-promoting appraisal. But Stein and Levine (1990) seemed to go further in stressing the significance of this coping and minimizing the role of blaming.…”

Section: Some Observations Regarding Blamesupporting

confidence: 68%

“…246-247, 262;Scherer, 1993Scherer, , 2001aSmith & Lazarus, 1993, pp. 263-264;Stein & Levine, 1989, 1990. Further exploration of the role of perceived coping potential clearly would do well to define this appraisal component more precisely, especially with regard to how the coping is to be achieved.…”

Section: Coping Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anderson et al, 1995;Baron & Bell, 1975;Baron & Richardson, 1994;Lindsay & Anderson, 2000), even in the appraisal theory camp (Stein & Levine, 1989, 1990, have also recognized the anger-aggression-eliciting effects of aversive conditions. In summarizing one of their studies, Stein and Levine (1990) concluded that their results were in accord with Berkowitz's (1983Berkowitz's ( , 1989) thesis "that aversive events .…”

Section: Aversive States Of Affairs As Anger Determinantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is this experienced strong displeasure that presumably is one of the fundamental sources of anger arousal. Elaborating on this basic proposition, we briefly summarize Berkowitz's (1990Berkowitz's ( , 1993aBerkowitz's ( , 1999Berkowitz's ( , 2003 cognitiveneoassociationistic (CNA) model of anger generation, one of a number of formulations (e.g., Anderson, Anderson, & Deuser, 1996;Baron & Bell, 1975;Baron & Richardson, 1994) proposing that negative affect can evoke anger and affective aggression, and provide additional evidence supporting such an effect. Even further, then, we also look at investigations of the effects of anger-related skeletal muscle movements in the face and other parts of the body on angry feelings.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

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Research bearing on several popular conceptions of the major determinants of anger arousal indicates that the particular appraisals often identified as causes of anger frequently only serve to affect the intensity of the anger that is generated. Research into effects of physical pain or other physically unpleasant conditions or involving social stresses suggests that decidedly aversive conditions are a major spur to anger. Experiments are also reviewed showing that anger-related muscular movements can also lead to anger-related feelings, memories, cognitions, and autonomic responses. Alternative explanations for the findings are discussed. The authors urge emotion theorists to widen their methodology and analyses so that they give careful, detailed attention to the many different factors that can influence anger.A great many people are angry at one time or another. After surveying studies dating back to World War I, Averill (1982) concluded that "Depending upon how records are kept, most people report becoming mildly to moderately angry anywhere from several times a day to several times a week" (p. 1146). Perhaps because this emotion is so common, 1 specific definitions of this term often vary in detail (see Averill, 1982;Kassinove, 1995, for reviews of the many different usages of this word), and there are many different, and even opposing, cultural beliefs prescribing how and when this affective state should be managed.Although there certainly is no shortage of research articles dealing with anger, investigators inquiring into the development and functioning of emotions would do well to devote more of their effort and ingenuity to the study of this particular affective state. It obviously is a socially very important emotion, one that has attracted a great deal of attention in the mass media as well as in the various health fields, but it also presents emotion theorists with a number of intriguing conceptual questions. As just one example, there is the often-assumed relationship between hedonic valence and approach-avoidance inclinations. According to Watson, Wiese, Vaidya, and Tellegen (1999), positive affect is typically associated with approach tendencies, whereas negative arousal is usually linked to an urge to avoid the instigating stimulus. Anger seems to be relatively unique in this regard and is often associated with approach rather than with avoidance inclinations (see Harmon-Jones & Allen, 1998;Harmon-Jones & Sigelman, 2001). Then too, research into the conditions under which anger is aroused can also touch on the metatheoretical controversy as to whether emotions can be evoked independently of cognitions. Although we do not want to revive the now well-worn argument as to just what is involved in the concept cognition, if one adopts the relatively restricted definition favored by Izard (1993) and Zajonc Leonard Berkowitz and Eddie Harmon-Jones, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison.We thank the individuals who provided valuable comments on previous versions of this article: Jack B...

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Section: Some Observations Regarding Blamesupporting

confidence: 68%

Section: Coping Potentialmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Aversive States Of Affairs As Anger Determinantsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Toward an Understanding of the Determinants of Anger.

Berkowitz¹,

Harmon‐Jones²

2004

Emotion

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487

417

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“…The experimental results presented here, in conjunction with the work of other researchers investigating the perception of infant crying (Crowe & Zeskind, 1992;Frodi & Senchak, 1990), should lead us to take a serious look at physical child abuse as a stress-related disorder. The cycle of aversive behavior between abusive parents and their children can be interrupted for a short time by using biodesensitization, biofeedback controlled desensitization, to reduce the arousal and anxiety associated with child-related cues (Berkowitz, 1990). In this experiment, clients responded positively to biofeedback because it gave them control over the loudness of the infant crying and control over the gradual extinction of their own stress response.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Perceptual responses to infant crying after EEG biofeedback assisted stress management training: Implications for physical child abuse

Tyson

Sobschak

1994

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Abstract--The adult's perception of infant crying determines whether it is a source of stress and may be an antecedent to physical child abuse. The study had clients listen to infant crying and used stress management training to change their perceived arousal, anxiety, and evaluation of the crying. Fifteen nonparental female clients were randomly assigned to three groups who either had pretraining without stress, pretraining while listening to infant crying, or listened to yoked infant crying without pretraining. During the second stage all clients had stress management training while listening to infant crying. The clients' perceived anxiety and arousal elicited by crying were significantly diminished after stress management training and anxiety measures were strongly correlated with both perceived arousal and the clients' evaluation of infant crying. Although this is the first experiment applying biofeedback assisted stress management training to the perceptual responses and physiological arousal associated with infant crying, these results with inexperienced clients have implications for the prevention and treatment of parental stress and should encourage further research treating physical child abuse as a stress-related disorder.

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