Aggression, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Threat

Abstract

Based on a study by Bushman and Baumeister (1998), we hypothesized that high global self-esteem and high collective self-esteem should be predictive of greater aggressive. We also hypothesized that participants with high narcissistic tendencies should be more likely to aggress than those with less narcissistic tendencies or lower self-esteem. Finally, we believe that men (in general) should more likely aggress in response to a perceived threat (a personal insult) than women in the same situation. In the present study, participants wrote an essay and then received a manipulated evaluation (either positive or negative) of the essay supposedly from another participant. They were later given the chance to aggress against their evaluator. Global self-esteem, collective self-esteem, and narcissism did not predict aggression. However, males were more likely to be aggressive than females, particularly in the negative evaluation condition.