Looking Again, and Harder, for a Link Between Low Self-Esteem and Aggression

ABSTRACT Recent field studies have revived the hypothesis that low self-esteem causes aggression. Accordingly, we reanalyzed the data from a previous experiment and conducted a new experiment to study direct physical aggression in the form of blasting a fellow participant with aversive noise. We also conducted a field study using a measure of indirect aggression in the form of a consequential negative evaluation. High narcissists were more aggressive than others but only when provoked by insult or humiliation and only toward the source of criticism. The combination of high self-esteem and high narcissism produced the highest levels of aggression. These results support the view of aggression as stemming from threatened egotism and are inconsistent with the hypothesis that low self-esteem causes either direct or indirect aggression.     

Psychological Defense Mechanisms: A New Perspective

Approaching psychological defense mechanisms from the perspective of an evolved strategy, it is proposed that there are two basic templates-dissociation and cognitive distortions. Frequently conceived of as pathological, these psychological phenomena actually constitute overlapping spectrums with milder manifestations being common and highly functional, and more severe variants less common and typically dysfunctional. Dissociation provides the capacity to adaptively detach from disturbing emotional states, and cognitive distortions place a positive ego-enhancing spin on experience. Most of the classical defense mechanisms described in the psychoanalytic literature represent a form of cognitive distortion with some containing strong elements of dissociation.     

Cognitive behavior therapy vs exposure in vivo in the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia (corrected from agrophobia)

Seventy-three psychiatric outpatients with DSM-IV diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia were assessed with a battery of independent assessor, self-observation, self-report and behavioral measures before and after therapy, and at a 1-yr follow-up. They were randomly assigned to Exposure in vivo (E; n = 25), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT; n = 26), or a Wait-list control (WLC; n = 22) and received 12-16 individual therapy sessions, once weekly. The treatments yielded significant improvements, both on panic/agoraphobia measures and on measures of general anxiety, depression, social adjustment and quality of life, which were maintained at follow-up. However, there were no significant differences between E and CBT. The three criteria of clinically significant improvement were achieved by 67% of the E-patients and 79% of the CBT-patients at post-treatment, and 74% and 76%, respectively, at follow-up. The conclusion that can be drawn is that adding cognitive therapy to exposure did not yield significantly better results than for exposure alone.     

Self-esteem, authoritarianism, and democratic values in the face of threat

This study investigated the associations among terrorist threat, right-wing authoritarianism, self-esteem, and their relations in support for democratic values. Students (n = 140) completed Altemeyer's Right-Wing Authoritarianism Scale, Rosenberg's Self-esteem Scale, and the Democratic Values Scale. The participants also read an editorial regarding the events of 9/11/01 and completed two mortality-salience questions to induce a sense of threat. Results showed that self-esteem was a significant contributor to the prediction of scores on the Democratic Values Scale. Furthermore, the interaction between self-esteem and right-wing authoritarianism explained significant variance in the Democratic Values Scale scores. The results are interpreted in light of theories addressing authoritarianism and self-esteem.     

HOW PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENTS CAN ENHANCE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEFENSE MECHANISMS

Psychological defense mechanisms are a powerful and often unappreciated force safeguarding mental health. Although rarely directed in this way, the most common forms of psychiatric treatment—psychotherapy and antidepressants—can enhance psychological defense mechanisms. Psychotherapy, through both specific and nonspecific factors, induces positive perspective shifts favoring positive cognitive distortions, including adaptive classical defense mechanisms and healthy attribution biases. Antidepressants, by altering very basic emotional information processing, such as facial expression recognition and emotional memories, also foster positive cognitive distortions. By shifting perceptions and thoughts in a positive direction, psychotherapy and antidepressants improve the capacity to dissociate from negative emotional stimuli.Brad Bowins, M.D., FRCP(C), is a staff psychiatrist at the University of Toronto Health Service and he is in private practice.     

Narcissism,sexual refusal,and aggression: testing a narcissistic reactance model of sexual coercion

Laboratory analog studies investigated the theory that narcissism and reactance contribute to causing rape. In Study 1, narcissism correlated positively with rape-supportive beliefs and negatively with empathy for rape victims. In Study 2, narcissists reported more enjoyment than other men of film depictions that presented consensual, affectionate activity followed by rape (but not in response to either affection or rape alone). In Study 3, narcissists were more punitive than other men toward a female confederate who refused to read a sexually arousing passage aloud to them.     

Clarifying the role of the "other" category in the self-esteem IAT

A. Karpinski (2004) recently criticized Implicit Association Test (IAT) measures of self-esteem, arguing that their measurements of self-associations are compromised by their contrasting self with a putatively extremely negative second category, the nonspecific other. The present data show, to the contrary, that the nonspecific other category in the self-esteem IAT is near neutral in valence. Validity of the self-esteem IAT is most appropriately assessed by examining its correlations with conceptually related measures. That has been done in several previous studies that are reviewed here. The nonspecific other category is only one of several choices for representing the concept of other in self-esteem IATs. Choice of the appropriate other category to contrast with self in self-esteem IATs should be guided by the needs of the research question being addressed.     

Level of functioning and recidivism risk among adolescent offenders

The assessment of offending youth is important in determining the most appropriate disposition for adolescents involved in the justice system. Recent studies have found a relationship between justice system involvement and level-of-functioning (LOF). This study investigated the relationship between LOF and recidivism risk among adolescents involved in a community-based, juvenile justice treatment program. The results document that conceptually similar domains are substantively correlated; however, a range of functioning was found among youth considered to have the same risk of recidivism. Overall, the results suggest that LOF measures may be associated with risk measures due to a convergence of areas assessed and that the two constructs also may have a relationship analogous to LOF and clinical diagnosis.     

Chewing on it can chew you up: effects of rumination on triggered displaced aggression

Ruminating about a provocation increases the likelihood of displaced aggression following a minor annoyance (trigger). In Study 1, provoked participants who ruminated for 25 min were more aggressive toward a fumbling confederate than were distracted participants. Provocation-induced negative affect was positively related to aggression but only among those who ruminated. Study 2 conceptually replicated Study 1 and also found that the more negatively people reacted to the trigger, the more likely the trigger was to increase displaced aggression. Study 3 replicated the findings of Studies 1 and 2 by using an 8-hr rumination period. All 3 studies suggest that ruminating about a provocation increases the likelihood that a minor triggering annoyance will increase displaced aggression.