Sonia Suchday

Date of Graduation

1995

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if subjects' preferred modes of anger expression were related to their behavioral, cognitive, affective, and physiological responses to interpersonal conflict. Subjects identified as being anger-in or anger-out based on responses to the Spielberger Anger Expression Scales were asked to participate in two conflict oriented role plays, one in which they were instructed to express their anger and and the other in which they were asked to suppress their anger. Results showed that for all subjects anger expression was associated with increased frequency of negative verbal behaviors, greater experience of affect as determined by self-reported state anger, arousal, and anxiety, greater systolic blood pressure and heart rate reactivity than anger suppression. Anger suppression was associated with greater repression-oriented and rational coping cognitive responding and more problem solving behaviors than anger expression. Anger-in individuals used significantly more repression statements compared to anger-out individuals across both role play interactions. Anger-out persons showed exaggerated DBP response in contrast to anger-in subjects but only during the anger expression role play. Additionally, if the anger expression scene followed anger suppression in contrast to the reverse order, a more intense response was observed on a number of variables including a greater experience of verbal negative behaviors, thoughts of victimization, self-reported anger, self-reported arousal, resting diastolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure reactivity.

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