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Verbal interactions of aggressively and nonaggressively predisposed males in a drinking situation
Author(s) -
Lindman Ralf,
Järvinen Pertti,
Vidjeskog Jan
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/1098-2337(1987)13:4<187::aid-ab2480130403>3.0.co;2-i
Subject(s) - psychology , testosterone (patch) , androgen , physiology , medicine , developmental psychology , hormone
The effects of progressive intoxication were studied in male social drinkers classified from prior histories as either aggressively (A) or nonaggressively (NA) predisposed while intoxicated. Two groups of two A and two NA subjects engaged in videotaped group discussions that were analyzed by Bales interaction process analysis (IPA). At comparable levels of ad libitum alcohol intake in a natural drinking environment, significantly more verbal activity was displayed by the A subjects than by the NA subjects ( P <.001), including IPA category D ( P <.025). The A subjects tended to address the group as a whole rather than individual members ( P <.001) and NA subjects rather than other A subjects ( P <.01). Free testosterone levels assessed from saliva were higher among A subjects than among NA subjects ( P <.05) with no significant changes related to time and progressive intoxication. The results suggest that the tendency to behave aggressively while intoxicated may be a fairly stable individual trait, possibly related to androgen levels and active or coercive modes of social communication.