Dissertation
Modeling aggressive driving: assessing low self-control theory with the general aggression model
Washington State University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
08/2009
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7273/000005582
Abstract
Aggressive driving behavior is a serious problem in the U.S. and many other parts of the world. Since the late 1940's numerous researchers have tried to understand why individuals engage in aggressive, and a majority of them come at the problem from a psychological perspective. While aggressive driving is a serious traffic offense, the subject has not been addressed very widely in the criminal justice literature. Most importantly, most of the limited studies undertaken in this area have not been couched within a comprehensive theory which could be tested against empirical evidence. The present study attempts to understand aggressive driving viewed as a criminological issue, and it explores the utility of Gottfredson and Hirschi's Self-Control Theory (1990) as applied within the framework of Psychology's General Aggression Model (GAM, Anderson & Bushman, 2002). Two separate studies featuring independent samples and different but related measures are used to explore how four low self-control personality traits -- sensation seeking, impulsivity, consideration of future consequences [CFC], and anger or temper arousal -- relate to risky driving and aggressive driving within the framework of the GAM. Results of both Study 1 and study 2 reveal similar evidence to support the research hypotheses: 1) sensation seeking, impulsivity, and CFC might be associated with aggressive driving through their possible relationships with temperamental personality (e.g., trait of temper arousal); 2) sensation seekers might create the situations (e.g., risky driving) for themselves to act aggressively; and 3) impulsive people and sensation seekers may become frustrated by different driving conditions, and the level of frustration may mediate the effects of impulsivity and sensation seeking on aggressive driving. This study extends the research of low self-control theory by demonstrating how the personality traits involved in this construct are associated with criminal/analogue deviant behaviors. The findings not only validate the meditational model of the GAM, but also imply that the GAM could serve as a useful framework to study the phenomenon of violent crime and property crime in future research. More importantly, this study offers several actionable implications for the driver education curriculum, for aggressive driving prevention, and aggressive driving post-offense treatment programs.
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Details
- Title
- Modeling aggressive driving
- Creators
- Yu-sheng Lin
- Contributors
- Nicholas P. Lovrich (Chair)Faith E Lutze (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Criminal Justice and CriminologyJeffrey Joireman (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Department of Marketing and International Business
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology
- Theses and Dissertations
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University
- Number of pages
- 197
- Identifiers
- 99901054534001842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Dissertation