Using Positive Emotion Training With Maltreated Youths to Reduce Anger Bias and Physical Aggression

Abstract

Maltreated youths often overinterpret anger in others’ emotional expressions, particularly expressions that are ambiguous, and this “anger bias” is associated with aggressive behavior. In the current experiment, we tested the effect of an emotion-training intervention on anger bias and subsequent aggression. Eighty-four youths, ages 8 to 17, who had been removed from home because of maltreatment and had screened positive for aggressive tendencies, served as participants. Over 4 days, youths completed positive emotion training, a computerized program in which youths classify emotional expressions. Youths in the treatment condition received feedback to encourage their recognition of happiness over anger in ambiguous expressions. Physical aggression up to 1 week posttraining was assessed on the basis of self- and staff reports. The intervention was effective in reducing youths’ anger bias and somewhat so in reducing aggression—the latter of—which occurred infrequently, limiting power. Results offer direction for developmental research and cost-effective interventions for maltreated youths at risk for aggression and future justice-system involvement.

Understanding the Behavioral Consequences of Upward Social Comparison on Social Networking Sites: The Mediating Role of Emotions

“…Richaud and Mesurado [35] found that positive emotions inhibit aggressive behavior. Furthermore, it has been shown that positive emotion training successfully reduces aggressive behavior [36]. Empirical evidence suggests that positive emotions can play an important role in preventing actions that harm others.…”

Physical Aggression Is Associated With More Effective Postdecisional Processing of Social Threat

“…Identifying individuals who would benefit most from intervention is crucial as well. Because the mechanisms identified in the present study are likely to be relatively entrenched by the time an individual reaches adulthood, intervening earlier in development (e.g., during adolescence; see Dickerson, Skeem, Montoya, & Quas, 2020) may be advantageous. Furthermore, negative emotionality appears important for contextualizing the association between physical aggression and postdecisional processing of social threat (see Table S1 in the Supplemental Material), which suggests that interventions targeting negative emotionality might be useful.…”

“Comparisons are Odious”? — Exploring the Dual Effect of Upward Social Comparison on Workplace Coping Behaviors of Temporary Agency Workers

“…Third, research by Dickerson et al demonstrated that positive emotional training can successfully reduce aggressive behavior. 65 To reduce the painful experience of envy and undermining behavior, 37 managers can provide emotion management training to improve employees’ emotional management capabilities. This will help employees learn to detect, understand and express emotions, release psychological pressure and negative emotions in an appropriate way, master positive emotional management and adaptation strategies, maintain a positive and optimistic mentality, and respond positively to upward social comparison.…”