Psy 409A Outline 4

The Fast and the Furious

By Lida Atkinson

 

Instructions for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm 
Instructor: Dr. Leon James

 

Citation:

The Fast and the Furious: Psychologists figure out who gets road rage and find ways to calm them down. Psychology Matters, APA Online. Retrieved October 10, 2006. http://www.psychologymatters.org/roadrage.html

 

  1. Who is prone to “road rage”? - Jerry Deffenbacher, PhD at Colorado State University studied self-reported High-anger driver verses low-anger drivers
    1. High-anger drivers engage in hostile, aggressive thinking
    2. High-anger driver take more risks on the road
    3. High-anger drivers get angry faster and behave more aggressively
    4. High-anger drivers had twice as many car accidents in driving simulations
    5. Short-fused drivers experience more trait anger, anxiety and impulsiveness
  2. What does it mean?
    1. People with the same group of high-anger driving traits stayed calm under certain road conditions
    2. There were large individual differences in high-anger drivers reaction to stressors
    3. It seems to be the combination of personality and situation that sets the fuse on “road rage”
  3. Treatment for High-anger drivers
    1. relaxation-only therapy - deep breathing and other basic relaxation techniques
    2. cognitive-relaxation therapy - relaxation methods as well as cognitive change strategies
    3. Both treatments were just as effective in reducing road rage
    4. A combination of cognitive and relaxation techniques have appear to reduce road rage among high-anger drivers
  4. Experiment by  Tara Galovski, PhD, involving 10 volunteers who described themselves as aggressive drivers
    1. deep relaxation
    2. stress-management coping skills
    3. learning different ways to think about roadway events and stressors
    4. 64 percent drop in aggressive driving behaviors

 

Conclusion:

            High-anger drivers are certainly more prone to risky behavior but it seems that situational stressors are the key to triggering a “road rage” event. More research is needed to identify the triggers, but the authors show how with appropriate treatment high-anger drivers can be taught to stay cool on the road. Although, different therapies were tested and found to have similar results, the combination of relaxation and cognitive behavioral training  appears to be the prudent choice.    

 

Links:

http://www.ncptsd.va.gov/publications/cq/v6/n3/novaco.html

Anger Treatment And Its Special Challenges, By Raymond W. Novaco, Ph.D.

NCP Clinical Quarterly 6(3): Summer 1996. Persons with PTSD, anger and aggression have wide-ranging impact on their personal well-being, their families, their work settings, and society at large. The treatment of anger, nevertheless, remains a relatively neglected topic in clinical research, especially with seriously disturbed patients.

 

http://www.psyko.helsinki.fi/PSYKO/Psykolog.nsf/WebResearchGroupsURL/TrafficResearchUnit?OpenDocument  

Traffic Research Unit of the University of Helsinki’s Department of Psychology. This web page describes a social psychological approach in driver behavior and accident research.

 

http://www.hbns.org/newsrelease/psychological6-15-01.cfm

The Center for the Advancement of Health article on Psychological Reactivity Characterizes Aggressive Driving. June 15, 2001. Researchers propose aggressive drivers may benefit from being taught relaxation techniques.