Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 4, 2025
09:12
The Resident-intruder Paradigm: A Standardized Test for Aggression, Violence and Social Stress
Published on: July 4, 2013
71.7K
Trait aggression is associated with five-factor personality traits in males.
Vibeke H Dam1,2, Liv Vadskjaer Hjordt1, Sofi da Cunha-Bang1
1Neurobiology Research Unit, The Neuroscience Centre, Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Brain and Behavior
|May 26, 2021
Summary
Individuals high in Neuroticism and low in Agreeableness and Conscientiousness exhibit higher aggression. Understanding these personality traits is crucial for addressing aggressive and violent behaviors.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Aggression is a spectrum, but studies often miss extreme behaviors.
- Previous research on personality and aggression used limited behavioral data.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the Five-Factor Model personality traits and trait aggression.
- To analyze these associations in a diverse sample including incarcerated offenders.
Main Methods:
- Used the NEO Personality Inventory-Revised (NEO PI-R) and Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ).
- Employed linear regression models with 259 male participants, controlling for covariates.
- Included a sample of 39 incarcerated aggressive violent offenders.
Main Results:
- Trait aggression (BPAQ scores) positively correlated with Neuroticism.
- Trait aggression negatively correlated with Agreeableness and Conscientiousness.
Conclusions:
- High Neuroticism and low Agreeableness/Conscientiousness predict increased risk of aggressive behavior.
- Highlights the importance of higher-order personality traits in understanding aggression.
- Advocates for greater focus on personality differences in violent and criminal behavior research.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Five-Factor Theory of Personality
1.4K
The five-factor model, often called the Big Five personality traits, is widely accepted in psychology as a comprehensive framework for understanding personality. These five traits — Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism — are often remembered using the acronym OCEAN.
Openness reflects creativity, curiosity, and openness to new experiences. Individuals scoring high in openness are imaginative, have a wide range of interests, and are independent...
Openness reflects creativity, curiosity, and openness to new experiences. Individuals scoring high in openness are imaginative, have a wide range of interests, and are independent...
1.4K
01:23Factors Influencing Attraction VI: Personality Traits
64
Personality traits are fundamental in shaping social perception and influencing interpersonal relationships. Certain traits, such as agreeableness and extraversion, contribute positively to social interactions, whereas others, such as narcissism, have complex and often contradictory effects on how individuals are perceived over time.The Role of Agreeableness and ExtraversionAgreeableness and extraversion are associated with higher levels of interpersonal attractiveness and likability.
64
01:24Cattell's 16 Personality Factors
1.6K
Raymond Cattell's trait theory offers a structured framework for understanding personality by distinguishing between two critical traits: surface and source traits. Surface traits are observable patterns of behavior, such as indecisiveness, anxiety, and irrational fears. These traits are less stable, varying across situations and over time. This means that they are less helpful in understanding the deeper aspects of an individual's personality.
In contrast, source traits are the...
In contrast, source traits are the...
1.6K
01:20Trait Theory by Gordon Allport
1.6K
Gordon Allport, often regarded as the father of American personality psychology, developed a theory that emphasized the importance of understanding people in their present lives rather than focusing on their past, as psychoanalysis did. Allport believed that personality should be studied in healthy, well-adjusted individuals rather than those with psychological problems. He was particularly interested in defining traits, which he saw as fundamental mental structures that guide behavior across...
1.6K
01:29Personality Theory by Eysenck and Eysenck
798
Hans and Sybil Eysenck developed a widely recognized theory of personality, which emphasizes the role of temperament and genetically based differences in shaping individual traits. Their theory posits that biological factors primarily determine personality and can be understood through two main dimensions: extroversion/introversion and neuroticism/stability.
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...
In the extroversion/introversion dimension, highly extroverted people are sociable, outgoing, and easily connect with others. In contrast,...
798
01:22Self-Report Tests of Personality
537
Self-report inventories are objective personality assessments that use multiple-choice items or numbered scales, typically ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). They are often called Likert scales after Rensis Likert. These inventories are widely used due to their ease of administration and cost-effectiveness. One of the most prominent examples is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), initially developed in the 1940s to assess abnormal personality traits.
537