Psy
409a, Oct. 2, 2006
Different Types of Road Rage
by Gina
Kim
Instructions
for this activity are found at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy25/g25-oral1.htm
Instructor:
Dr. Leon James
Leon James
and Diane Nahl (2000). Road Rage and Aggressive Driving: Steering Clear of
Highway Warfare. (
A. Jekyll-Hyde Syndrome
1. A very nice and courteous person can change
radically and turn into a beast when they step into the driver’s seat of a car.
2. Drivers also experience a bit of
self-righteousness when criticizing other people’s driving skills.
3. Anger and self-righteous attitudes can easily lead
to road rage.
a. There are different types of road
rage personalities.
b. Research has shown 3 different
types representing different emotional challenges.
B. Passive-Aggressive Road
Rage
1. Having passive-aggressive road rage comes from
constantly feeling wronged and mistreated as a driver by other drivers.
2. With this type of road rage, you feel like the
victim and put up a fight.
a. You protest other drivers’
requests and become an obstacle to other drivers.
3. This is just as dangerous as other types of road
rage because these people are unaware of other drivers.
C. Left-Lane Bandit
1. These people are the ones that drive in the
left/fast lane and yet drive slowly.
a. They can be called “inconsiderate
drivers”.
b. They can be motivated by
contrariness, stubbornness, and even the perverse enjoyment of dominating
others by forcing them to line up behind.
2. How to deal with left-lane bandits
a. Go around the car without
tailgating them, revving your engine, or giving a bad look.
b. Control your thoughts about the
driver.
D. Verbal Road Rage
1. This type of road rage is when you constantly
complain about traffic and other drivers.
2. People naturally think and talk to themselves when
driving.
3. This is a type of short-term relief when a driver
is frustrated but it usually does more harm than good.
1. This type of road rage is when a driver fantasizes
about comic-book roles and giving out extreme punishments to other drivers.
2. Sometimes, it gets to the point where you act on
these fantasies and actually chase people and punish them.
3. Epic road rage is often times preceded by verbal
road rage
4. When in a car, a driver feels a sense of
detachment to society and so they can lose sense of reality.
5. Having constant epic road rage mentality can turn
driving into a fantasy ride for some people where they chase down bad guys.
a. Extreme speeding is one type of
epic road rage that gives the driver a thrill because they are pushing the
limits.
6. This isn’t limited to drivers.
a. Bicyclists can also have epic road
rage and take out their anger on other drivers.
F. Automotive Vigilante
1. An automotive vigilante is aggressive towards
other drivers with verbal abuse, offensive gestures, and threatening maneuvers.
2. They feel that they are doing the right thing by
teaching other bad drivers and punishing them.
3. This road rage is ignited by their
self-righteousness and moral superiority.
G. Rushing Maniac
1. This is one of the most common driving obsessions
2. Two complementary elements
a. Extraordinary need to avoid
slowing down
b. Consequent anger against anyone
who causes a slow down.
3. When driving, all you think about is being late or
being behind others and you then tend to lane hop.
4. Rushing doesn’t mean that you are saving time
a. When tested, the difference in
times was not big enough to consider rushing as being a success.
b. Often times, you will see a car
that whizzed past you waiting at the same red light as you.
H. Aggressive Competitor
1. These drivers see driving as a competition and
always feel the need to be in the lead.
2. When they make a mistake or feel like they lost,
they feel extreme shame and feel that other drivers are ridiculing them.
I. Scofflaw
1. This driver is compulsively rebellious and feels
that they can break traffic laws and regulations
a. This includes not completely
stopping at a stop sign, driving faster to beat the yellow light, and speeding.
2.This driver feels that
they are above the law.
LINKS
1. Driving and Road Rage articles : http://www.drivers.com/topic/31
- This website has a whole list of links to articles related to different
topics dealing with driving. This
specific page deals with articles about road rage. It also has articles about driving safety, new
drivers and old drivers. I feel that
this website would have helpful articles for any type of driver.
2. A Medical Diagnosis of
Road Rage : http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13152708/
- This article says that doctors are viewing road rage not as just a behavioral
problem but as an intermittent explosive disorder. Usually, you would think of road rage as a
cultural and environmental problem but doctors say that there is a biological
and cognitive science to road rage. This
particular article caught my eye because it also says that symptoms for this
disorder can be seen in childhood.
3. Example of
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Class Home
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