Trait aggression is primarily a facet of antagonism: Evidence from dominance, latent correlational, and item-level analyses

Chester, David S.; West, Samuel James

doi:10.1016/j.jrp.2020.104042

Cited by 24 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 50 publications

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“…Others have argued that trait aggression is essentially antagonism (commonly known as low agreeableness), with latent correlations between constructs in the −.67 to −.90 range (Chester & West, 2020).…”

Section: E Viden Ce Of a Con S Truc T Overl Ap Prob Lem And Con S Truc T Prolifer Ation Con Cernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construct jangle or construct mangle? Thinking straight about (nonredundant) psychological constructs

Hodson

2021

J Theo Social Psycho

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Psychological science aims to make the abstract measurable and quantifiable. As psychologists it is our challenge and charge to capture complex abstractions (e.g., authoritarianism, prejudice, depression) accurately and with transparency. But recent concerns have been raised about the proliferation of constructs across psychology sub-disciplines, with construct redundancy now rife. Critics charge that we do not take seriously construct validity, especially discriminant validity, which exacerbates the replication crisis. Here the author outlines the problem and discusses at a conceptual level how latent modeling can aptly capture constructs and their interrelations without error, isolating and helping to circumvent construct validity problems.At the core of the issue lies a mathematical reality that seems to be largely ignored in psychology: if correlations within and between indicators of constructs are roughly comparable, their latent factors will correlate near-perfectly and thus be redundant.Thoughts about how the field arrived at this juncture are discussed, along with a recommendation to avoid using cute labels (e.g., jingle-jangle fallacies) to represent very serious problems (better labeled as construct redundancy fallacies). Recommendations for thinking straight about constructs, their validation, and their uniqueness, are offered. How to cite this article: Hodson, G. (2021). Construct jangle or construct mangle? Thinking straight about (nonredundant) psychological constructs.

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Section: E Viden Ce Of a Con S Truc T Overl Ap Prob Lem And Con S Truc T Prolifer Ation Con Cernsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Construct jangle or construct mangle? Thinking straight about (nonredundant) psychological constructs

Hodson

2021

J Theo Social Psycho

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“…Taylor et al (2018), for example, showed that violence occurred after a complex interaction between multiple variables, none of which alone was violent or aggressive. These results, however, do lend support to the trait aggression approaches (Chester & West, 2020). While the focus of the current research was on behavioral analysis, given the large corpus of research focusing on personality factors related to aggression and implicit cognitive processes, it would be possible to suggest links between behaviors and cognitions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 60%

“…More recent research into aggression has focused dispositional aggression as a predictor across an individual’s lifespan (Chester & West, 2020). Chester and West (2020) highlight that while the Buss-Perry Aggression model (1992) is widely used in the research literature and applied settings, it focuses primarily on cognitive and affective processes, while aggression typically relates to behaviors. Indeed, in an applied setting, it is the behaviors that are in many ways more important to accurately detect, as they may serve as a clearer indicator of aggressive, violent attacks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, in an applied setting, it is the behaviors that are in many ways more important to accurately detect, as they may serve as a clearer indicator of aggressive, violent attacks. Chester and West (2020) suggest that aggression is related to antagonism, the counter-point of “Openness” in classic personality constructs (Lynam & Miller, 2019). By conceptualizing aggression as being correlated with antagonism, explanation of behavioral traits observed in aggressive outbreaks can be gained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Behavior Sequencing Violent Episodes in Forensic Youth Populations

Keatley

Starritt

Parke

et al. 2021

Int J Offender Ther Comp Criminol

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Every year, more children and youths are sent to Secure Children’s Homes while moving through the criminal justice system. Aggressive and violent incidents in these settings are common, and staff are often required to intervene and restrain violent individuals. The research literature has many examples of aggression and violence questionnaires and measures; however, for staff in communal areas it is the observable behaviors that they react to most. The current research, therefore, analyzed observable behaviors leading-up to violent episodes, and used Behavior Sequence Analysis to highlight the typical chains of behaviors that tend toward violence. The outcomes of this research show pathways to violence that staff can use to highlight potential spirals of aggression and violence. The current results show the links between non-confrontational behaviors (e.g., talking) through to more confrontational (staring, approaching, and pushing others). Overall, the research forms the foundation for future investigation into these and similar settings and outlines a novel approach to understanding violence escalation in a way that can be interpreted and used by service staff.

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“…Similarly, AAS dependents have demonstrated reduced ability to infer or interpret the mental state of others compared to non-using weight-lifters (66). Furthermore, antagonism and disinhibition may contribute to externalizing behaviors (67,68) which may put others at risk, including sexual aggression (69).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Severity of anabolic steroid dependence, executive function, and personality traits in substance use disorder patients in Norway

Scarth¹,

Havnes²,

Jørstad³

et al. 2021

Preprint

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Background: Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), including testosterone and synthetic derivatives, are typically used to increase muscle mass. Many users develop a dependence on these substances, contributing to worsened physical and mental health outcomes. Aspects of personality and executive dysfunction may represent underlying vulnerabilities for developing dependence.Objective: To identify levels of AAS dependence within substance use disorder (SUD) treatment patients and assess the relationship between dependence severity and personality traits and executive function (EF).Methods: Data were collected from patients at 38 SUD treatment facilities in Norway. Questionnaires were completed for measures of personality and EF. Measures of symptoms of AAS dependence were used in latent class analysis to identify sub-groups of patients, which were evaluated for association with EF and personality traits, and compared with a group of non-AAS using SUD patients. Results: Three classes were identified; largely reflecting low, moderate, and high symptoms of dependence. Multinomial regression analyses indicated that moderate and high symptoms were associated with several measures of EF and personality traits, particularly antagonism, disinhibition, psychoticism, and relational capacities, while users with low symptoms exhibited higher capacities for emotional control and shift, and lower negative affectivity, relative to non-AAS using SUD patients. Backward stepwise regressions indicated antagonism, and decreased self-monitoring as key personality and cognitive characteristics of SUD patients with severe AAS dependence.Conclusion: Our findings indicate that specific executive dysfunctions and personality features, particularly those associated with poor emotional control, reduced empathy, and impulsivity are associated with more severe AAS dependence in the SUD population.

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Trait aggression is primarily a facet of antagonism: Evidence from dominance, latent correlational, and item-level analyses

Cited by 24 publications

References 50 publications

Construct jangle or construct mangle? Thinking straight about (nonredundant) psychological constructs

Construct jangle or construct mangle? Thinking straight about (nonredundant) psychological constructs

Behavior Sequencing Violent Episodes in Forensic Youth Populations

Severity of anabolic steroid dependence, executive function, and personality traits in substance use disorder patients in Norway

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