Previous research on the connection between the Dark Triad traits and aggression is largely based on self-report measures. This paper examines how the traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy and...Show morePrevious research on the connection between the Dark Triad traits and aggression is largely based on self-report measures. This paper examines how the traits of Machiavellianism, psychopathy and narcissism affect aggression in an experimental setting. Based on the previous literature, we hypothesized that Machiavellianism and psychopathy were positively correlated with aggression, while narcissism would be unrelated. We used the Attacker-Defender Conflict (AD-C), an economic contest well suited to study aggression. The incentivized AD-C was implemented in an online environment where attackers and defenders, who were matched afterwards, competed for resources. Attackers decided how much they would invest in order to beat the defender and gain money at their expense. If the defender successfully defended by investing more or an equal amount as the attacker, both parties kept their non-invested resources. Out of 301 participants, the attacker conflict investment of 132 attackers was used to measure aggression. Participants also completed the Short Dark Triad, a self-report questionnaire that evaluates Dark Triad traits. Our analysis showed a positive correlation between Machiavellianism and aggression, but only when the other two traits were held constant. Contrary to our assumption, psychopathy was negatively related to aggression. Finally, narcissism was not significantly correlated with aggression. These findings imply that, while the understanding of Machiavellianism and narcissism based on self-report measures of aggression are supported in our study, psychopathy’s connection to aggression may have either been misunderstood before or unknown factors played a significant role by confounding the results. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future research are discussed.Show less
This study investigated the relationship between childhood trauma, emotion dysregulation, dissociative psychopathology, and aggression in adult female ADHD and BPD patients. The study aimed to...Show moreThis study investigated the relationship between childhood trauma, emotion dysregulation, dissociative psychopathology, and aggression in adult female ADHD and BPD patients. The study aimed to determine whether childhood maltreatment predicted aggression and if emotion dysregulation and dissociation mediated this relationship. Methods: The study included eighty-six women (n=29 patients with BPD, n=28 patients with ADHD; and n=29 healthy controls, HC) recruited from the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim, Germany. Childhood trauma was measured using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), which assessed various forms of abuse and neglect. Aggression was measured using the Buss Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), which assessed physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. Emotion dysregulation was assessed using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), which measured six dimensions of emotion regulation difficulties. Dissociation was measured using the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES), which assessed various aspects of dissociative psychopathology. Results: The results revealed that childhood maltreatment had a significant effect on aggression, mediated by emotion dysregulation but not dissociation. Furthermore, scores for aggression, emotion dysregulation, and dissociation were higher in the ADHD and BPD groups compared to healthy controls. These findings suggest a need for clinical emphasis on trauma-informed care and emotion regulation strategies. Additionally, the study highlighted the necessity of future research on gender differences in these relationships, providing an impetus for personalised treatment strategies. Conclusion: This study emphasises the crucial role of childhood trauma and emotion dysregulation in managing aggression in female ADHD and BPD patients.Show less
In the study of political ideology, a debate has formed between two opposite sides, one side belief that there is a fundamental difference in the psychological process of rightist and leftists....Show moreIn the study of political ideology, a debate has formed between two opposite sides, one side belief that there is a fundamental difference in the psychological process of rightist and leftists. Those who oppose this, belief that there bias in research methods and there is not a difference for rightists and leftists. A study was conducted online, recruiting a sample of 388 participants from the United States United Kingdom, with the aim to find out if aggression differed between leftists and rightist in a context neutral situation. Using the game of Attack and Defense to provide a context neutral situation, the results showed that rightist were significantly more aggressive than leftists regardless of who they played against. However, when looking at aggression levels when playing against a member of an outgroup, the results contradicted what was hypothesized. Leftists were significantly more aggressive than rightists when playing against a member of their political outgroup.Show less
With the increase in polarization worldwide, the danger of democracies not working anymore and societies breaking apart has become an increasingly real prospect. Previous research concluded that,...Show moreWith the increase in polarization worldwide, the danger of democracies not working anymore and societies breaking apart has become an increasingly real prospect. Previous research concluded that, in general, Rightists tend to be more aggressive towards outgroup members than Leftists; recent studies, however, have challenged this by proposing affective responses are symmetrical in both groups. 200 Leftists and 200 Rightists were recruited from the United Kingdom and the United States with the aim of finding differences in aggression directed to ingroup and outgroup members. Using the Attacker-Defender Contest to assure context-neutrality and a mixed ANOVA to test for interactions between political ideology and aggression, results showed an increased rate of aggression towards outgroup members by Leftists only. Furthermore, a statistically significant interaction between political ideology and aggression was found.Show less
This paper seeks to investigate if childhood poverty has an effect on aggression towards outgroups in adulthood. While previous research has suggested that childhood poverty has a negative effect...Show moreThis paper seeks to investigate if childhood poverty has an effect on aggression towards outgroups in adulthood. While previous research has suggested that childhood poverty has a negative effect on behavior in teenage years and on physical health during adolescence and beyond, there has not been much literature on childhood poverty and its behavioral effects in adulthood. I looked specifically if childhood poverty would have negative behavioral effects, in this case aggression towards outgroups, in adulthood. Our sample consisted of 802 members from the United Kingdom and the United States of America, 362 of which reported having experienced poverty during their childhood. They played the Joy of Destruction game, which measured aggression towards an outgroup and then filled in an online questionnaire which include current socioeconomic information and experiences of childhood poverty. The results indicated that people who experienced childhood poverty displayed more aggression towards members of an outgroup. This result contributes to the existing literature that having adverse experiences during childhood will have a negative effect on one’s behavior in adulthood.Show less
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Conduct disorder (CD) have somewhat similar symptoms. Both are characterized by problems with cognitive empathy, but CD is also characterized by problems with...Show moreAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Conduct disorder (CD) have somewhat similar symptoms. Both are characterized by problems with cognitive empathy, but CD is also characterized by problems with affective empathy. Research has shown that problems with affective empathy can be linked to aggression. CD is characterized by aggression, both proactive and reactive, but this is not clear for ASD. Current research was conducted to answer the question: On what aspects do ASD and CD differ from each other and from a control (CON) group, considering empath and aggression? A sample of 112 boys participated in the study. They were divided into three groups based on the diagnosis of CD, ASD or no diagnosis (CON). They were asked to fill in the Basic Empathy Scale (BES) and the Reactive-Proactive Agression Questionaire (RPQ). A distinction was made between affective and cognitive empathy and a total empathy score, and between proactive and reactive aggression and a total aggression score. The results showed that CD had more problems with empathy, specifically affective empathy, than ASD compared to CON. CD showed a higher score on aggression, on both subscales and the total score, than both ASD and CON. ASD did not differ from CON on any of the variables. These results support previous research in which it was stated that there is an association between problems with affective empathy and aggression in children with CD. This association was not found for ASD. It is suggested that future research should investigate possible factors that could be of influence on the absence of this relation between empathy and aggression for ASD.Show less
Cyberspace is increasingly establishing itself as a domain where malicious actors can achieve quick, asymmetric strategic gains. In response to this trend, many Western states are increasingly...Show moreCyberspace is increasingly establishing itself as a domain where malicious actors can achieve quick, asymmetric strategic gains. In response to this trend, many Western states are increasingly turning to offensive cyber operations to ward off or respond to these events. However, a key question dominating this turn by the West is how ethical, or just, conflict by the West in cyberspace really is. Using a Just War Theory lens, this thesis explores the extent to which modern, Western cyber operation abide by the Jus Ad Bellum principles of Just War Theory. Ultimately, this thesis finds that many Western cyber operations do not abide by an idealized ‘gold standard’ of JWT for cyber: however, there is room for improvement in the future.Show less
The study takes as point of departure recent political statements of the Israeli prime minister B. Netanyahu about the status of the Occupied Syrian Golan, which are aimed at changing the legal...Show moreThe study takes as point of departure recent political statements of the Israeli prime minister B. Netanyahu about the status of the Occupied Syrian Golan, which are aimed at changing the legal status of this area, as these are uttered in the context of the war in Syria. The thesis examines the weight of these statements through a legal, political and an historical analysis, and how the international community reacted to it. The thesis critically explores the possibilities of international law to respond to this situation.Show less
Op basis van de bestaande literatuur lijkt er een verband te zijn tussen de mate van reflectief functioneren (RF) van de moeder en de agressie van het kind. RF is het vermogen van de moeder om te...Show moreOp basis van de bestaande literatuur lijkt er een verband te zijn tussen de mate van reflectief functioneren (RF) van de moeder en de agressie van het kind. RF is het vermogen van de moeder om te begrijpen dat het eigen gedrag en het gedrag van anderen, waaronder het kind, samenhangt met iemands mentale staat. Ook lijken risicofactoren invloed te hebben op de mate van agressie en de mate van reflectief functioneren. In dit onderzoek wordt op basis van deze risicofactoren, onderscheid gemaakt tussen hoog- en laagrisico moeders. Er is onderzocht of er verschillen zijn in RF en agressie tussen deze groepen en of er een verband is tussen RF en agressie. Agressie werd op verschillende leeftijden gemeten door middel van de vragenlijsten Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale (CICS) en de Physical Aggression Scale For Early Childhood (PASEC). RF werd prenataal gemeten door het Pregnancy Interview (PI; Sadler et al., 2013) en postnataal door het Parent Development Interview (PDI; Slade et al., 2005). De mate van prenataal reflectief functioneren voorspelt de mate van agressie van het kind bij de eerste meting bij een leeftijd van zes maanden, maar niet bij de latere meting van RF en agressie welke plaatsvindt bij twintig maanden. De aanwezigheid van risicofactoren blijkt van invloed te zijn voor de hoeveelheid agressie die kinderen laten zien en de mate van RF die moeders laten zien. De verschillen in agressie tussen de hoog- en laagrisicogroepen lijken niet verklaard te worden door de mate van RF.Show less
Introduction. Smoking during pregnancy poses a risk for negative developmental outcomes, e.g. aggression. This study focuses on the relation between smoking during pregnancy and aggressiveness of...Show moreIntroduction. Smoking during pregnancy poses a risk for negative developmental outcomes, e.g. aggression. This study focuses on the relation between smoking during pregnancy and aggressiveness of 12-months-old infants. Three groups were compared: infants of mothers who smoked during the whole pregnancy, infants of mothers who smoked until they knew they were pregnant and infants of mothers who did not smoke during their pregnancy. Also a high risk group and low risk group were compared. Methods. 56 mothers (M = 21.95 years, SD = 2.57) and their children, 26 boys (M = 12.56 months, SD = .49) and 30 girls (M = 12.52 months, SD = .43), participated. Smoking during pregnancy is measured by the Dutch translation of the Becoming a Mother questionnaire at the 27th week of pregnancy. Aggression is measured by the Cardiff Infant Contentiousness Scale and Physical Aggression Scale for Early Childhood at the infant age of 12 months. Results. No significant difference in aggressiveness between infants in the three maternal smoking groups was found. In addition, the average levels of aggressive behavior of 12-months-old infants whose mothers smoked until they knew they were pregnant did not differ significantly between the high risk group and the low risk group. Conclusion. In this study, no relation between smoking during pregnancy and aggressive behavior of 12-month-old infants is found. Furthermore, the high risk and low risk group were not associated with different levels of aggressiveness of 12-month-olds.Show less
Background: This study evaluated language and empathy in 8-to-12 year old boys with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) (n = 31) and age-matched normal controls (n = 34). Method: Language was...Show moreBackground: This study evaluated language and empathy in 8-to-12 year old boys with Disruptive Behavior Disorders (DBD) (n = 31) and age-matched normal controls (n = 34). Method: Language was measured by the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-4 Dutch Version, CELF-4-NL, 2010, a language test for the evaluation of language skills in school aged children. Empathy was assessed by the Basic Empathy Scale (BES), a self-report questionnaire for children. Results: Results revealed that language is not related to empathy and that DBD has no influence on the presence of affective and cognitive empathy. Only when it comes to generalized empathy it shows that normal controls possess higher levels of empathy than DBD boys. In addition, DBD does not have a moderating effect on the relationship between language and empathy. Conclusions: These findings are not in line with predictions based on the known literature which might be due to the fact that it is unsure if empathy and language were correctly measured. Conclusions based on these results should be done carefully. Further research is required. Keywords: Language, empathy, theory of mind, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, aggression, school aged children. Abbreviation: DBD: Disruptive Behavior Disorder; CD: Conduct Disorder; ODD: Oppositional Defiant Disorder.Show less
Background: High levels of aggressive behavior are associated with a low resting heart rate in boys. However, differences in underlying mechanisms, e.g. arousal levels, might exist between boys...Show moreBackground: High levels of aggressive behavior are associated with a low resting heart rate in boys. However, differences in underlying mechanisms, e.g. arousal levels, might exist between boys with disruptive behavior disorders, which might have implications for intervention programs to prevent aggressive behavior to develop further into adulthood. Methods: The current study investigated resting heart rate (beats per minute) and skin conductance levels (μS ) in boys, 8-12 years old (Mage = 9.67, SD = 1.18), with a disruptive behavior disorder (NDBD= 24, NControl = 25). Levels of anxiety and characteristics of an autism spectrum disorder were considered as co-occuring symptoms, to consider possible differences between the two groups and to infer the predictive value of these symptoms regarding arousal levels. Arousal levels in resting state were considered while the participants watched a three minute calming video of fishes. Levels of aggression, anxiety and amount of characteristics of an autism spectrum disorder were measured by questionnaires that were administered by the boys themselves (MASC) and the parents (ASEBA CBCL 6-18 and VISK). One-way analyses of variance were performed to infer possible differences between the control group and the DBD group. Moreover, multiple regression analyses were executed to consider the predictive value of the levels of the mentioned symptoms with regard to arousal levels. Results: No differences were found in arousal measures in resting state between the DBD group and the control group. However, expressing higher levels of characteristics of autism, especially not understanding social information (e.g. jokes), stereotypic behavior and anxiety for change, turned out to be partly predictive for higher levels of heart rate in the DBD group. None of the considered factors was predictive for variation in skin conductance levels in this group. Conclusions: The current findings suggest that some of the aggression seen in the DBD group could possibly origin from the lack of understanding as well as anxiety or tension with regard to social situations and is associated with somewhat higher levels of arousal instead of lower levels, as previously suggested. The tentative findings in the current study could incite to investigate in more depth the predictors of variation in levels of arousal, which could provide more information about differences between individuals with regard to underlying mechanisms of aggression.Show less
Aggression is a phenomenon which is seen more and more in society. Therefore, it is important to research this phenomenon more actively. Aggression has a big influence on the future prospects of a...Show moreAggression is a phenomenon which is seen more and more in society. Therefore, it is important to research this phenomenon more actively. Aggression has a big influence on the future prospects of a child. It has been suggested that less developed executive functions are related to more aggressive behavior. This study examines whether there is a difference in executive functioning in children with a disruptive behavior disorder (DBD) compared to typically developing children. In addition, it is examined if there is a relation between executive functions and proactive aggression and reactive aggression. The DBD group consisted of 37 boys aged 8 to 12 years (M =9.57) and the control group consisted of 42 boys aged 8 to 12 years (M = 9.64). Two questionnaires were used, the BRIEF (Smidts, & Huizinga, 2009) for executive functioning and the IRPA (Polman & Orobio de Castro, 2008) for proactive and reactive aggression. The DBD-group scored significantly lower on all the executive functions than the control group. Correlation analyses on the parental questionnaires indicated a positive relationship within the DBD group between inhibition skills and reactive aggression. An explanation for these results is that children with DBD struggle to resist their impulses and emotion regulation, tend to respons aggressively to frustrations. Moreover, a negative correlation was found within the DBD-group between emotion regulation and proactive aggression. By examining these relationships further treatment can be aimed at specific executive functioning deficits for the different forms of aggression. This could help negate future behavioral problems with these children.Show less
Research master thesis | Developmental Psychopathology in Education and Child Studies (research) (MSc)
open access
2017-07-19T00:00:00Z
The investigation of aggressive behaviors in specific types – reactive and proactive – on the basis of knowledge about executive dysfunctioning is important for determining both the etiology and...Show moreThe investigation of aggressive behaviors in specific types – reactive and proactive – on the basis of knowledge about executive dysfunctioning is important for determining both the etiology and the treatment strategies for aggression. The present study aimed to identify executive functions as the mechanisms underlying reactive and proactive aggression. Twenty-seven boys from 7 to 12 years old (M = 9.78, SD = 1.37) participated in this study. We created a sample including boys with different types of aggression and a wide range of aggression scores. Several (computerized) neurocognitive tasks were used for the measurement of the executive functions: inhibition, attention, frustration tolerance, cognitive flexibility and planning. A teacher questionnaire was administered for the reactive and proactive aggression scores of the boys. We found that the executive dysfunctions were associated with higher levels of aggression. Inhibition problems were associated with both types of aggression, but we also delineated unique factors in the prediction of reactive or proactive aggression. These results are not only important for theoretical frameworks about the etiology of aggression, but we can also underpin the importance of stimulating the development of specific executive functions for the prevention and treatment of different types of aggression.Show less
