Implicit and explicit personality: a test of a channeling hypothesis for aggressive behavior

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Psychology
• Personality Psychology

Background:

• Self-beliefs about personality influence the expression of implicit motives.
• The channeling hypothesis suggests personality beliefs guide motive expression and defense mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To test if self-beliefs about aggressiveness influence the expression channels of the aggressive motive.
• To examine how justification mechanisms are used to defend the expression of aggression based on self-beliefs.

Main Methods:

• Measured implicit aggressiveness using conditional reasoning.
• Investigated the relationship between self-perceived aggressiveness and aggression expression in intramural basketball players.

Main Results:

• Results supported the channeling hypothesis.
• Individuals implicitly prepared to rationalize harming others engaged in overt aggression if they viewed themselves as aggressive.
• Individuals implicitly prepared to rationalize harming others engaged in passive aggression if they viewed themselves as nonaggressive.

Conclusions:

• Self-beliefs about aggressiveness channel the expression of the aggressive motive.
• The findings highlight the interplay between implicit motives, self-perceptions, and behavioral expression.