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Are target-shooters more aggressive than the general population?
Thorsten M Erle1, Niklas Barth1, Friederike Kälke1
1Department of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
Aggressive Behavior
|May 3, 2016
Summary
Target shooters exhibit higher aggression and poorer emotion regulation than the general population, with aggression increasing over time. Athletic target-shooting specifically activates aggressive thoughts more than other sports.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Sport Psychology
Background:
- Psychological research often links guns to aggression.
- Proponents of gun control emphasize individual responsibility for gun violence.
- Athletic target shooters may perceive guns as athletic, not aggressive, stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate aggression and emotion regulation in athletic target shooters.
- To examine the longitudinal changes in aggression among target shooters.
- To explore the causal impact of target-shooting on aggressive thoughts and feelings.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study tracked self-reported aggression and emotion regulation in target shooters over one year.
- Cross-sectional experiments compared target shooters and basketball players before and after practice.
- Aggressive thoughts and feelings were measured using validated psychological scales.
Main Results:
- Target shooters initially reported higher aggression, which increased over one year.
- Deficient emotion-regulation strategies were linked to higher self-reported aggression.
- Target-shooting practice, unlike basketball, activated more aggressive and anxiety-related thoughts.
Conclusions:
- Athletic target shooting may be associated with heightened aggression and emotion regulation difficulties.
- The practice of target shooting might prime aggressive cognitions.
- Further research is needed on interventions to mitigate aggression in this population.
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