Impulsivity, fight history, and camaraderie as predictors of a willingness to escalate a disturbance

Abstract

This field study examined the relationships between six predictor variables and a self-report measure of spectators' likelihood of joining in a crowd disturbance. Subjects were males (N = 78) found in attendance at an ice hockey game. The variables related to the likelihood of escalating a disturbance included subjects who were more impulsive, had a history of fighting, were younger, saw provocations as more volatile, liked to watch player fights and attended with others. A multiple regression analysis yielded a solution that accounted for 52.9% of the variance. The results were discussed against the background of previous research examining the factors associated with spectators' propensity for involving themselves in crowd disorders.

Murder most foul: Predictors of an affirmative response to an outrageous question

“…It is also consistent with previous results showing that both trait aggression [Russell, 1995;Russell and Arms, 1995;Wilkins et al, 19741 and subjects' records of previous aggression [Arms and Russell, 1996;Hartmann, 19691 predict to the likelihood of their involvement in future violence.…”

Consumer Misbehavior: Aggressive Behavior by Sports Fans

“…In regard to the relationship between impulsivity and aggression, Wheeler and Caggiula (1966) found that high-impulsive participants exhibited more aggression than low-impulsive participants following exposure to aggressive models, suggesting that impulsive individuals have lower inhibitions against violating social norms. Building on this work, research with hockey spectators found a strong connection between impulsivity and willingness to escalate in disturbance (Arms & Russell, 1997). In fact, "impulsive aggression" is considered a common type of aggression whereas individuals engage in aggressive behaviors that were not premeditated (Anderson & Huesmann, 2007), making impulsive individuals more likely to engage in such types of aggression.…”

“…However, when it comes to aggression by sports spectators, individual-difference variables are often overlooked; researchers acknowledge that such variables could be important predictors of spectator aggression and call for research to incorporate them (Dimmock & Grove, 2005). Specific factors along those lines include self-esteem, impulsivity, and overall tendencies regarding verbal aggression and physical aggression (Arms & Russell, 1997;Dimmock & Grove, 2005;Russell & Arms, 1995.…”

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“…Previous research has shown that self-reported involvement in riots surrounding sports events is associated with physical aggressiveness and higher levels of anger as measured by the Aggression questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992), and that rioters show higher levels of impulsiveness, sensation seeking and psychopathy (see Mustonen, Arms, & Russell, 1996;Russell, 2004;Russell & Arms, 1998). Moreover, individuals with a personal history of violence are more likely to allow a disturbance to escalate into a full-blown riot (Arms & Russell, 1997). Neither the aforementioned broadband personality dimensions nor the MCAA were used as predictors in previous studies on football hooliganism.…”