The Impact of Attributional Processes on Triggered Displaced Aggression

The current study examined the role of attributional processes on triggered displaced aggression and specified the conditions wherein affect versus attributions would predict the degree of aggressive responding. Consistent with expectations, attributions for a minor provoking event predicted the degree of aggression towards targets that had violated expectations or where a specific attribution was provided. When no such expectancy violation occurred, only negative affect generated by the provocation predicted aggression. Furthermore, results indicated that initial feelings toward a provoking target impacted aggressive responding by influencing attributions made for a target’s provoking action. When faced with a minor provocation, individuals were more likely to spontaneously attribute that event to external causes for people they like (e.g., positive valence targets), thus reducing the subsequent degree of aggressive retaliation. In contrast, for disliked targets, individuals were more likely to attribute provoking behavior to internal causes, resulting in an increase in aggression. The new model provides a theoretical extension to the cognitive-neoassociationistic perspective on aggression (L. Berkowitz, 1989, 1990, 1993).