Unemployment and aggression: the moderating role of self-awareness on the effect of unemployment on aggression.
In February 2005, the unemployment rate in Germany surpassed the 10% mark. Derived from the revised version of the frustration-aggression hypothesis [Berkowitz, 1989], the present studies investigated the association between unemployment and aggression, as well as the moderating role of the self in this context. Because previous research on unemployment and aggression has been plagued by the cause-and-effect issue, the present research employed both an experimental and a correlational field approach. Three studies revealed that participants who expected to be unemployed after their degree (Studies 1 and 3), or who were currently unemployed (Study 2), reported stronger aggressive inclinations than participants who expected not to be unemployed or who were not unemployed at the time of data collection. However, this aggression-eliciting effect of expected or real unemployment only occurred for participants with low self-awareness. Participants who could actualize their self prior to reporting on aggression were not differently affected by different expectations or states of unemployment.
Fischer
Peter
P
Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany. pfischer@psy.uni-muenchen.de
Greitemeyer
Tobias
T
Frey
Dieter
D
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000523:psychology*; D004651:Employment / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005639:Frustration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011581:Psychological Tests; D012649:Self Concept; D014478:Unemployment / Q000523:psychology*