Physiological arousal, reactive aggression, and the induction of an incompatible relaxation response

Chewing on It Can Chew You Up: Effects of Rumination on Triggered Displaced Aggression.

“…In Studies 1 and 2, through the use of a 20 -25-min delay period, the interval between provocation and trigger exceeded the 10 -15-min duration over which provocation-induced arousal typically persists (Fridhandler & Averill, 1982;Tyson, 1998). Moreover, this delay substantially exceeded that used in all prior studies of triggered displaced aggression.…”

“…Typically, negative affective states last approximately 10 min (Fridhandler & Averill, 1982;Tyson, 1998). Because previous displacedaggression studies have never extended the time period between the provocation and the trigger beyond 10 min, the persistence of arousal generated by the initial provocation can reasonably explain these empirical findings.…”

“…Research suggests that without rumination, anger generally dissipates within 10 min (Fridhandler & Averill, 1982;Tyson, 1998). The purpose of Study 1 was to test whether ruminating about a provocation beyond 10 min would increase the likelihood of triggered displaced aggression.…”

The role of perspective taking in anger arousal

“…Zillmann (1983) suggested that, at extreme levels of arousal, the ''cognitive mediation of behaviour is expected to be greatly impaired'' (p. 94). Likewise, Tyson (1998) has suggested that high-levels of anger can result in cognitive systems ''being overwhelmed'' (p. 145). This explanation is also consistent with Baumeister's (1990) work on self-regulation breakdown, which suggests that under certain conditions, such as a state of negative affective arousal, individuals experience a state of cognitive deconstruction characterised by a disengaging from the self-system.…”

Psychomotor Therapy as an Additive Intervention for Violent Forensic Psychiatric Inpatients: A Pilot Study

“…Whereas cognitive-behavioral interventions focus on cognitive change and the improvement of social skills to prevent aggression, the main target of PMT for violent offenders is the physiological component of anger. A high level of anger-related arousal is considered to be a determinant of (impulsive) aggressive behavior because of its undermining effect on cognitive control processes (Kahneman, 2003;Olson & Fazio, 2009;Strack & Deutsch, 2004;Tyson, 1998). When patients are able to recognize bodily sensations as a component of anger and learn to deal effectively with these symptoms, they may gain more control over this emotion (e.g., Novaco, 2007;Tyson, 1998) and for this reason PMT has been proposed as a viable intervention for aggressive behavior (e.g., Langstraat et al, 2011;Zwets, Hornsveld, Kraaimaat, Kanters, Muris, & Van Marle, 2014).…”