This paper applies the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire to eight participants — four family members and four randomly selected students — to explore how physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility manifest across individuals. Drawing on Archer and Webb's (2006) research linking aggression to competitiveness, dominance, and jealousy, the paper interprets each participant's self-reported scores in light of observable personality traits and social context. Findings reveal notable variation across gender and temperament, challenge some generalizations about sex differences in aggression, and highlight gaps between outward demeanor and self-reported hostility. The study offers a practical, observational illustration of how the questionnaire functions as a self-assessment tool.
The Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire consists of twenty-nine statements designed to assess four factors: physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and hostility. It is a self-scoring test in which subjects evaluate themselves according to the degree to which they agree with each statement. The questionnaire uses a five-point scale, with one point indicating a statement is "extremely uncharacteristic" and five points indicating "extremely characteristic." A score of three on any statement is considered neutral. Two statements are reverse scored; a "5" on either or both of those statements indicates a lower level of aggression.
For the purpose of this study, four family members and four randomly selected individuals evaluated themselves using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. All names have been changed to protect participants' privacy.
Don, age fifty-two, is a real estate attorney who enjoys sailing in his spare time. His wife Betty, forty-nine, is a real estate agent who plays golf and tennis regularly at the local country club. They have been married for eleven years; it is the second marriage for both. Betty has two daughters, Jane and Nora, who are nineteen and twenty-one, respectively. They are away at college most of the year but live with Don and Betty during the summer and semester breaks.
Research demonstrates that women show greater inhibition than men in social contexts (Archer and Webb, 2006, p. 465). In the case of Don and Betty, this generalization does not hold true. Don's score on the aggression scale was 42. He answered "extremely uncharacteristic of me" for almost every statement and gave five points for each of the reverse-scored statements. No one who knows Don would be surprised by his score. He is a large man, almost six feet five inches tall, and is known as the "Gentle Giant." It would be difficult to find anyone who has seen Don irritable, much less angry.
By contrast, Betty scored 67 on the aggression scale; some who know her would say she underestimated her tendencies to lose her temper and be confrontational. These qualities have been an issue in her marriage to Don, and Betty has tried to be, as Don puts it, "more laid back." People who know the couple often cite the adage "opposites attract." Don is soft-spoken and shy, while Betty enjoys being the center of attention and is known for having strong opinions.
Competitiveness is a variable that has been linked to aggression (Archer and Webb, 2006, p. 465). This finding is consistent with the scores of Betty and her daughters on the aggression scale. Betty is extremely competitive in the workplace. The real estate market is tough, and Betty believes she needs to be aggressive to be successful. She is also known to be fiercely competitive on the tennis court and the golf course, even though she insists she plays both games to relax and to network for business.
Betty's daughters are also athletes. Jane plays tennis at her university, and Nora is a competitive swimmer. Both girls are excellent students with strong academic records, and they are as competitive as their mother. Their scores were higher than Betty's — by fifteen points in Jane's case and twenty-two points in Nora's. The girls consider their assertiveness and competitiveness to be assets in academics and sports, and they take it as a compliment when people tell them they are very much like their mother. Betty, Jane, and Nora would characterize themselves as strong-willed and forthright. They admit to being competitive, but they do not like the word "aggressive" and do not believe it applies to them.
Four unrelated individuals were also asked to complete the questionnaire. This writer approached four students in a library at different times and asked if they would take a few minutes for the self-assessment. The individuals — two male and two female — were chosen at random and were not known to the writer before they agreed to participate. Three other people were approached but declined.
"Two peer participants show unexpected hostility patterns"
"Sarah's hidden bitterness; George's high verbal aggression"
"Variation in scores and self-report limitations"
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