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Aggression by omission: Redefining and measuring an understudied construct
Drew M Parton1, David S Chester1
1Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA.
Aggressive Behavior
|November 14, 2023
Summary
Researchers propose renaming passive aggression to aggression by omission (ABO). Studies show ABO and aggression by commission (ABC) are similar in nomological networks and equally affected by provocation.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Psychology
- Aggression Research
Background:
- Aggression research traditionally focuses on active aggression (aggression by commission, ABC).
- Passive aggression, defined as deliberate harm through withholding behavior, has been understudied and its definition has evolved.
- The original concept of passive aggression requires re-examination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To re-examine passive aggression as originally defined: the deliberate withholding of behavior to cause harm.
- To rename this construct aggression by omission (ABO) and contrast it with aggression by commission (ABC).
- To investigate the nomological network and provocation effects of ABO compared to ABC.
Main Methods:
- Two studies (N=196, N=220) were conducted to examine passive aggression (ABO).
- Participants' responses were assessed in relation to antagonism, sadism, and trait aggression.
- Study 2 specifically examined the effects of provocation on both ABO and ABC.
Main Results:
- Both aggression by omission (ABO) and aggression by commission (ABC) fit within a similar nomological network including antagonism, sadism, and trait aggression.
- Study 2 indicated that both ABO and ABC were equally affected by provocation.
- Participants perceived both forms of aggression as equally harmful.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the re-conceptualization of passive aggression as aggression by omission (ABO).
- Further research is encouraged to concretely capture the construct of ABO.
- Future studies should integrate ABO into common aggression paradigms and trait aggression scales, which currently focus on ABC.
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