Reducing Road Rage: An Application of the Dissonance‐Attribution Model of Interpersonal Forgiveness¹

Abstract

Recent research (Takaku, 2001;Takaku, Weiner, & Ohbuchi, 2001) tested and supported the hypothesis that injured parties' motivation to forgive their wrongdoers could be enhanced through inducing hypocrisy-dissonance by making the injured parties aware of their own past wrongdoing. The present study tested and supported the model's applicability to people's road-rage experiences by showing that individuals who were aware of their own past reckless driving generated more hypocrisy-induced dissonance, more positive attributions, and less negative emotional reactions than individuals who were not aware of their own past reckless driving. Implications for future research and possible applications of the model in reducing road rage are discussed.An individual was driving along a local road when another driver began tailgating, honking, and yelling. When they both pulled off the road, the individual confronted the tailgater about his bad driving, and then the tailgater pulled out a knife and stabbed the individual in the chest (Police investigate road rage stabbing, 2004).A 25-year-old New Jersey motorist was tailgated by another driver. As he was getting out of his car to confront the tailgater, he was run over by the tailgater (Road rage hit and run, 2004).A 17-year-old boy was tailgating a motorist. They both pulled over, a dispute ensued, and the boy was shot (as cited in James & Nahl, 2000). Defining Road RageAlthough some disagreement exists among researchers on what specific reckless driving behaviors should be considered road rage, some form of the

Drivers’ Behaviour Modelling for Virtual Worlds

“…Some disagreements exist among researchers on how to classify a specific reckless driving behaviour as road rage [1]. According to [1] two definitions are used often in research.…”

“…According to [1] two definitions are used often in research. The first one is: "an assault with a motor vehicle or other weapon on other vehicles, precipitated by a specific incident" [2].…”

“…The second definition is: "a deliberate attempt to harm other persons or property arising from an incident involving use of a motor vehicle" [3]. According to [1] the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) clearly distinguishes aggressive driving from road rage. For example, from a legal point of view, aggressive driving like speeding is a traffic offense, whereas road rage is a criminal offense [1].…”

“…According to [1] the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) clearly distinguishes aggressive driving from road rage. For example, from a legal point of view, aggressive driving like speeding is a traffic offense, whereas road rage is a criminal offense [1]. Takaku also quotes a study conducted by AAA's (American Automobile Association) Foundation for Traffic Safety that found that road-rage incidents increased by more than 50% between 1990 and 1996.…”

Development and Evaluation of a Faith-Based Psychoeducational Approach to Forgiveness for Christians

“…Ability to forgive is associated with successful aging and general psychological well-being in older adults (Lawler-Row & Piferi, 2006), lower levels of depression (Gall, 2006;Tse & Cheng, 2006), and recovery from hurt (Wade, Bailey, & Shaffer, 2005). People who are aware of their own past irresponsible behaviors have been shown to be more forgiving and understanding of the same behaviors committed against them (Takaku, 2006). Positive physiological correlates of forgiveness include better quality of sleep, less fatigue and less severe somatic complaints (Lawler et al, 2005), decreased pain response (Carson et al, 2005) as well as lower blood pressure, heart rate, and stress reactivity (Lawler et al, 2003).…”