Aggression In Sport Research Articles

Collegiate Athletes' Perceptions of the Legitimacy of Aggression in Sport

The purpose of the current study was to examine the perception of legitimacy of aggressive acts by male and female contact, noncontact, collision, and intramural athletes at the collegiate level. It was hypothesized that males would perceive aggressive acts as more legitimate than female athletes and collision and contact athletes would perceive aggressive acts as more legitimate than noncontact and intramural athletes. Collegiate varsity and intramural athletes (<i>N</i> = 237) completed a demographic questionnaire and a modified version of the Sport Behavior Inventory (Conroy, Silva, Newcomer, Walker, & Johnson, 2001), which evaluated the perception of legitimacy of aggressive acts. Results revealed that male athletes perceived aggressive acts as more legitimate than female athletes. Additionally, collision sport athletes and noncontact sport athletes perceived aggressive acts as more legitimate than contact sport athletes. No interaction was found between gender and sport type. This research assists in understanding the connection between sport socialization and perceived legitimacy of aggressive acts in sport.

Athletic identity and aggressiveness: A cross‐cultural analysis of the athletic identity maintenance model

Research independently examining athletic identity and sport aggression is quite extensive; however, the relationship between these variables has yet to be explored. Findings from both the identity literature and the sport fandom literature regarding team identification and aggressive fan behavior provides a foundation on which to hypothesize about the potential role athletic identity may have in the expression of athlete aggression (i.e., Athletic Identity Maintenance Model). Therefore, the purpose of the study was to examine the relationships among athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness in competitive athletes and to assess cross‐cultural differences. Male athletes (N = 569) participating in contact and collision sports in the United States (n = 362) and Hong Kong (n = 207) completed measures of athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness. Results indicated positive relationships among athletic identity, anger, and aggressiveness with differences in those variables found with respect to sport type and culture. Group comparisons yielded significant differences between lowly and highly identified athletes in both anger and aggressiveness

Efectos de la agresión colérica en el desempeño deportivo en deportes de contacto: una revisión empírica

En este trabajo se presentan los resultados de una revisión sobre los efectos de la agresión colérica en el desempeño deportivo en atletas de contacto físico. Lainvestigación se basa en ocho artículos, obtenidos a partir de cuatro bases electrónicas (PsycInfo, Ebsco, Proquest, Elsevier) y tres revistas especializadas (Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, Perceptual and Motor Skills y Revista de Psicología del Deporte), publicados entre 1995 y 2007. El análisis de ese material reveló que son escasos los modelos conceptuales que abordan la relación entre la cólera y la ejecución deportiva. Los resultados estadísticos presentados en esta revisión sugieren de manera parcial, pero no definitiva que la agresión colérica favorece la actuación en los deportes de contacto (50% de los estudios), sin embargo el otro 50% de los estudios reportaron que esa emoción no afectó el desempeño. Las conclusiones divididas sobre el aporte de la agresión colérica, basadas en el análisis de la evidencia empírica de u segmento limitado de literatura, no deben desalentar el estudio de esta relación. se sugieren algunas medidas metodológicas para realizar investigaciones futuras sobre el tema.

Athlete-to-Athlete Verbal Aggression: A Case Study of Interpersonal Communication Among Elite Australian Footballers

This case study examined interpersonal communication in sport in the form of verbal aggression among elite athletes in the Australian Football League (AFL). It focused on the experience and motivation of athletes who use athlete-to-athlete verbal aggression and the responses of athletes who have been the targets of verbal aggression during games. In addition, the reasons athletes have for not engaging in verbal aggression were also examined. Purposive sampling procedures produced a select sample of elite male athletes known for their aggressive approach to playing Australian football. Qualitative methods and deductive analysis procedures, informed by J.H. Kerr’s categories of sport aggression, were used to interpret the interview data. Meaningful insights into verbal aggression in the AFL were obtained. Based on the underlying motivation, interview transcript descriptions of incidents were identified as examples of power, thrill, and anger verbal aggression.

Individual, Team, and Coach Predictors of Players' Likelihood to Aggress in Youth Soccer

The purpose of this study was to examine personal and socioenvironmental factors of players' likelihood to aggress. Participants were youth soccer players (N = 258) and their coaches (N = 23) from high school and club teams. Players completed the Judgments About Moral Behavior in Youth Sports Questionnaire (JAMBYSQ; Stephens, Bredemeier, & Shields, 1997), which assessed athletes' stage of moral development, team norm for aggression, and self-described likelihood to aggress against an opponent. Coaches were administered the Coaching Efficacy Scale (CES; Feltz, Chase, Moritz, & Sullivan, 1999). Using multilevel modeling, results demonstrated that the team norm for aggression at the athlete and team level were significant predictors of athletes' self likelihood to aggress scores. Further, coaches' game strategy efficacy emerged as a positive predictor of their players' self-described likelihood to aggress. The findings contribute to previous research examining the socioenvironmental predictors of athletic aggression in youth sport by demonstrating the importance of coaching efficacy beliefs.

Physical aggression in Australian football: A qualitative study of elite athletes

Background and purpose There is disagreement in sport psychology about the nature of physical aggression in sport. This is reflected in discussions about definitions of aggression and the different types of aggression that are found in the sports context. Kerr [Kerr, J. H. (2005). Rethinking aggression and violence in sport. London: Routledge.] postulated that there were four different types of aggression in sport (play, anger, power, and thrill aggression). This paper reports the findings of an exploratory study that examined aspects of these different types of sanctioned and unsanctioned aggression in Australian football. Method Participants were eight of the most aggressive male Australian football athletes, playing at the top level in the Australian Football League. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect qualitative data. The concepts of play, anger, power and thrill aggression and reversal theory motivational states were used as a framework for interpreting the interview data. Results and discussion Deductive analyses revealed numerous descriptions of aggression which could be categorized as examples of play, power, and anger aggression, but only two examples of thrill aggression were identified. Differences in the perception and experience of participants between sanctioned (play) and unsanctioned (power, anger, and thrill) aggression, including acts of intimidation and retaliation, were identified. Additional findings concerning intent to injure in sanctioned aggression, the enjoyment of unsanctioned aggression, and the impact of recent changes in Australian football on unsanctioned aggression are reported.

When winning is everything: On passion, identity, and aggression in sport

Objectives To examine the interplay between harmonious and obsessive passion and aggressive behavior in sports. It was hypothesized that players who are obsessively-passionate about basketball should report higher levels of aggressive behaviors than harmoniously-passionate players in general, and especially under self threat. Methods Using the Dualistic Model of Passion (Vallerand et al. (2003), Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85, 756–767) as a guiding framework, basketball players indicated their level of passion and aggression during typical basketball situations using a self-reported questionnaire. Results In Study 1, results demonstrated that athletes with a predominant obsessive passion for basketball reported higher levels of aggression on an aggression scale than athletes with a harmonious passion. In Study 2, harmoniously-passionate and obsessively-passionate athletes were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: self-threat and self-affirmation. We predicted that under self-threat, obsessively-passionate players should report higher levels of aggressive behavior than harmoniously-passionate players. However, no differences were expected between obsessively and harmoniously-passionate players in the self-affirmation condition. These hypotheses were supported. Conclusions The present findings reveal that having an obsessive passion is associated with aggressive behavior, especially under identity threat. Thus, the love for one's sport may lead to some maladaptive interpersonal behavior, especially if such love is rooted in a sense of identity that is contingent on doing well in that sport.

A Synthesis of the World Literature of Ice Hockey Injuries: Epidemiologic Principles and Future Directions

Abstract Ice hockey is a fast-paced, aggressive sport whose participants are subject to relatively high rates of injury. Although there is a growing emphasis on the epidemiology of ice hockey research and its application towards reducing injuries, the literature has never been organized into an accessible database. Ice hockey is played in North America, Europe, Scandinavia, the U.K., and several other non-English speaking countries, yet injury reports not written in English are often ignored in review articles. The purpose of this project was to synthesize the existing world literature on ice hockey injuries into a framework of epidemiologic criteria, accessible in an organized, retrievable library. An extensive search of the following databases was done: MEDLINE, BIOSIS, EMBASE, NTIS, CURRENT CONTENTS, DISSERTATION ABSTRACTS, SPORT DISCUS, CINAHL, and WEB OF SCIENCE. Key words used were “ice hockey” and “injuries,” and the search range was 1966 to July 2007. Endnote X (Thompson Corp., Stamford, CT) was used for reference compilation. Eight hundred sixty seven documents were catalogued, from 27 countries in 8 languages. Documents were first categorized by type, including injury (226), equipment (45), case reports (94), review articles (294), editorials (39), or as focusing on the physiological, psychological, or medical aspects of ice hockey (169). Documents were then subdivided by study type and whether they were prospective (117) or retrospective (109). Further subdivisions beyond these levels were based on the inclusion of certain critical epidemiological criteria, including exposure time, a clear definition of “injury,” and the level of play, among others. This comprehensive database should make future ice hockey research more efficient, as well as promote sound epidemiology and a more global perspective.

Aggression in the sports world: a social psychological perspective

1. Social Influences 2. Personality 3. Environmental and Situational Influences 4. Witnessing Aggression: MEdia and Firsthand 5. Violent Sports Crowds 6. Panics 7. Methods, Measures, and Views of Sports Aggression

Aggressor and Victim Perspective-Related Differences in Perceived Legitimacy of Aggression in Soccer

The purpose of this role-playing study was to explore the perceived legitimacy of aggression in soccer as a function of perspective-related differences (aggressor vs victim) and type of aggression (instrumental vs hostile). 120 soccer players watched videotaped aggressive interactions in soccer and took the perspective of the actors (aggressor then victim or the reverse). Then they rated the legitimacy of each aggressive behavior depending on its ultimate goal (instrumental then hostile or the reverse). When participants adopted the aggressor perspective, they perceived instrumental aggression as more legitimate than hostile aggression. In contrast, when participants took the perspective of the victim, no significant difference was found regardless of the type of aggression. The discussion focussed on implications and consequences of such divergences in aggressive sport situations.

Measuring aggressiveness and anger, but not aggression? A response to the CAAS critique

Objectives The Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale (CAAS) was developed to measure antecedents of aggression in sport. The critique attacks the CAAS on three points: (1) the definition of aggression in sport adopted, (2) the “one size fits all” element in the thinking behind the scale's development, (3) the nature of the CAAS Anger and Aggressiveness items. The objectives of this response is to address misunderstandings in the critique. Methods We identified a number of false assumptions that undermine the validity of the critique and attempt to clarify our position with respect to the criticisms made. Results (1) The CAAS is being criticised for a definition that it did not use. (2) We accepted that the CAAS may not be suitable for everyone in our limitations section and fully accept the limitations of any scale. We have since undertaken a large research project to establish whether the scale is valid across and within specific sports. (3) The fundamental misunderstanding inherent throughout the critique is that the CAAS was designed as a measure of aggression, rather than anger and aggressiveness, rendering the critique of its items redundant. Conclusions The critique misrepresents the authors of the CAAS and fails to present a coherent argument against its use. We hope to clarify our position here. The evidence to date suggests that the CAAS is a valid measure of anger and aggressiveness in many sports and that these concepts reliably differentiate players who admit unsanctioned aggression from those who do not.

Do Undergraduate Students' Ratings of Perceived Aggression in Sport Reflect Athletes' Self-Reported Aggression? Comments on Pedersen (2007)

In 2007 Pedersen described the results of undergraduate students' ratings of 16 common sports based on their perceptions of the aggression in each sport. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether Pedersen's sample's perception of aggression actually reflects aggression of athletes who participate in these sports. Therefore, response of 1,441 British competitive athletes (817 men, mean age = 21.5, SD = 4.9) to a short aggression questionnaire were analysed to distinguish whether the same pattern of ranks reported by Pedersen could be replicated. In general, data were consistent with Pedersen's rankings (Correlations were moderate to high), but some exceptions were evident, particularly for male athletes.

Perceived Aggression in Sports and its Relation to Willingness to Participate and Perceived Risk of Injury

The purpose of this study was three-fold: assess relationships among perceived hostile aggression, instrumental aggression, and assertion for a set of collegiate sports, categorize the sports by rated aggression, and present relationships of aggression with ratings of likelihood of career-ending injuries, personal willingness to participate, and the perceived desirability of participation in the sports by others. The sports were rated on the variables by 285 undergraduates enrolled in psychology courses in a large private university in the western USA. Mean age for men was 23.7 yr. (SD = 2.3) and for women 21.3 yr. (SD = 2.7). A 4 (rating category) x 16 (sport) repeated-measures analysis of variance showed significant main and interaction effects. The sports were classified according to level of aggression in post hoc analysis. Perceived risk of a career-ending injury was linearly related to aggregate aggression, whereas willingness to participate and desirability of the sport for others had quadratic relationships to both aggregate aggression and risk of career-ending injury.

Sensation seeking, gender and programme preferences in televised sport

Sport has emerged as one of the major media events of our time of such magnitude that it is no more possible to distinguish between the phenomena of television and sport. The purpose of this study is to determine the relations between sensation seeking, gender and preferences in viewing televised sport. The reason being that the sensation seeking theories can offer media researchers a valuable approach to understanding why and how people use television to create their own excitement and entertainment. The survey methodology was used in this study. The questionnaire included the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS), which is a standardised psychological test, as well as a questionnaire that categorises a variety of sport in three major groups. Group A consists of violent combative sport, group B of aggressive combative sport and group C consists of non-aggressive stylistic sport. Ninety two (N=92) respondents were randomly selected to complete the Sensation Seeking Scale and to indicate their preferred sport programmes in terms of the three groups that range from extreme combative aggressive to more stylistic and artistic sport programmes. Results in this study indicated a direct relation between high sensation seeking and viewing violent combative sport (Group A). Low sensation seeking viewers also tend to view more stylistic sport on television (Group C). The hypothesis on gender differences was also supported. The male population is more attracted to violent combative sport, while the female population prefers to view more stylistic and artistic sport on television. South African Journal for Research in Sport, Physical Education and Recreation Vol. 28(2) 2006: 15-25

The development of a short scale measuring aggressiveness and anger in competitive athletes

Objectives The study of aggression and anger in competitive sport relies on accurate and economical measurement via observation, interview and questionnaire. Unfortunately, extant questionnaires have been criticised for having poor validity, are not sport specific, or reflect mood states rather than trait qualities. Therefore, a measure of trait anger and aggressiveness in competitive athletes was developed. Method A list of statements representing aggressiveness and anger was generated and distributed to competitive athletes from diverse sports. Exploratory and confirmatory analyses were used to verify the theoretically predicted factor structure. Correlations with an extant measure of aggression and anger were used to ascertain concurrent validity. Discriminant validity was tested by comparing males with females, and aggressive with non-aggressive footballers. Results A 12-item scale (Competitive Aggressiveness and Anger Scale, CAAS) consisting of two subscales was derived using principal component factor analysis with oblimin rotation. Confirmatory factor analysis using structural equation modelling confirmed the overall structure. Test–retest correlation, construct and discriminant validities were good, supporting the utility of the scale as a measure of athlete trait aggressiveness and anger. Conclusions The CAAS appears to be a useful measure of athletic anger and aggressiveness. Its brevity and ability to discriminate aggressive from non-aggressive athletes should prove useful for future research concerning aggressive behaviour in competitive athletes.

Editorials

As students of medicine, we each have an unending and insatiable appetite for new knowledge. As orthopedic surgeons, our thirst and desire is to learn or discover new techniques in surgical management. This journal has now been in existence for 3 years, and thanks to the contributions of multiple authors representing wide backgrounds, it has been successful in providing a variety of innovative procedures for the foot and ankle specialist and the general orthopedist. In this issue, we provide insight to both Achilles tendon disorders and syndesmotic ankle injuries. We are so fortunate for the guidance of our guest authors in compiling this information for our benefit. I would like to reiterate our belief that this is your journal. Please inform us of topics that you would like highlighted, and feel free to contribute surgical techniques that you believe would be of interest to your colleagues and beneficial to their patients. Robert B. Anderson, MD Editor Charlotte, NC Guest Editorial It is certainly an honor to serve as a guest editor for Techniques in Foot and Ankle Surgery. This journal continues to succeed in providing the most current surgical techniques to challenging problems we all face in our practice. I hope to continue in that tradition by presenting a collection of international experts and theircurrent thinking and treatment of the often times confusing syndesmotic injury. Because our society has become more active and embracing of sports, there has been a significant amount of research and attention in the literature to sports injuries. There has also been a higher demand for optimal outcomes given the patient's desire to return to aggressive sports activities. Despite this, the syndesmotic injury still allows for many variations in presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. Unfortunately, this can also lead to many variations in the outcome of this injury. Presented in my case study are 2 common presentations of syndesmotic injuries: those with a fibular fracture and those without a fibular fracture. Four authors provide us with 4 different approaches to surgical treatment of syndesmotic injury. Just as we each base our treatment approaches to foot and ankle problems on the literature, personal experiences, and what works best in our hands, these authors give us their insights into treating these challenging syndesmotic injuries, each with a somewhat different solution that works well in their hands. I learned from each of these articles certain techniques that I may need to incorporate into my treatment protocol for the syndesmotic injury given the varied presentation of this injury. I think you also will gain insight from these experts that will help you with your standard protocol for the treatment of syndesmotic injuries. I feel certain these authors will also provide you with new and innovative options that are available to you for treating the patient with a syndesmotic injury and therefore hopefully allow you to gain the optimal result that both you and your patient desire. Brian Donley, MD Vice Chairman Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Cleveland Clinic Health Systems Director, Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Fellowship Cleveland, OH

Rethinking Aggression and Violence in Sport

Rethinking Aggression and Violence in Sport

The Ratio of 2nd to 4th Digit Length of Hand: A Predictor of Concentration of Testosterone and Performance in Aggressive Sports

The Ratio of 2nd to 4th Digit Length of Hand: A Predictor of Concentration of Testosterone and Performance in Aggressive Sports

Correlates of achievement goal orientations in physical activity: A systematic review of research

There has been a plethora of studies in the past decade investigating task and ego achievement goal orientations in physical activity settings and how they might be associated with various cognitive, affective and behavioral variables. Although comprehensive narrative reviews of the field exist, no systematic review has been reported except one meta-analysis on only goals and affect. The present paper, therefore, reports a systematic review of 10 correlates of achievement goal orientations across 98 studies and 110 independent samples (total N = 21,076). Studies are invariably cross-sectional, leading to an inability to conclude causal effects, and are biased towards young people. Frequencies and effect size calculations show associations of varying magnitude between a task orientation and (a) beliefs that effort produces success (positive association: +); (b) motives of skill development and team membership (+); (c) beliefs that the purpose of sport/PE is for fostering mastery, fitness, and self-esteem (+); (d) perceptions of competence (+); (e) positive affect (+); (f) negative affect (negative association: -); (g) parental task orientation (+); and (h) various measures or markers of behavior (+). Associations of varying magnitude were found between an ego orientation and (a) beliefs that possessing ability produces success (+); (b) motives of status/recognition and competition (+); (c) beliefs that the purpose of sport/PE is for social status (+); (d) perceptions of competence (+); (e) unsportspersonlike attitudes, endorsement of intentionally aggressive sport acts, and the display of aggressive behaviors in sport (+); and (f) parental ego orientation (+).

Issues in Aggression and Violence in Sport: The ISSP Position Stand Revisited

This paper is the fourth in a series of related papers debating aggression and violence in sport. The first was the ISSP Position Stand (PS; Tenenbaum, Stewart, Singer, &amp; Duda, 1997), the second a rejoinder (Kerr, 1999), and the third a reply to Kerr’s rejoinder (Tenenbaum, Sacks, Miller, Golden, &amp; Doolin, 2000). The purpose of this fourth paper is to revisit five of the major issues in the debate on aggression and violence in sport concerned with arguments put forward by Kerr (1997), which were subsequently misinterpreted and misrepresented by Tenenbaum et al. (2000). The purpose of this paper is to correct some of these errors and to continue to argue that the PS needs to be revised and redrafted before it will be acceptable to the groups at which it is aimed, especially those involved in team contact sports.