About this Research Topic
This Research Topic is part of a series: Anger and Interpersonal Aggression
Most anger and aggression occur in a social context where interpersonal violence is a major public health concern across the world, (WHO 2014). Interpersonal aggression is often accompanied by anger and can manifest directly in the form of physical fights or verbal insults, or more indirectly in the form of social rejection and intimidation. These harmful societal consequences entail enormous costs in health, criminal justice, and social welfare systems and reduce mental well-being in the victims and perpetrators.
Although actuarial data in humans show that interpersonal aggression/violent crime occurs between people who know each other, the majority of animal and human experimental paradigms measures anger and aggression in an artificial laboratory context where animals or human participants are exposed to “strangers”. While bio-behavioral factors, identified in such paradigms are being characterized, deep phenotyping from knowledge on neuro-circuits as well as social and environmental factors underlying anger-infused interpersonal aggression is lacking to date.
Here, we call for original studies and commentaries which address bio-behavioral risk markers (e.g., genetic, neuro-circuits, hormones) of anger and aggression in “interpersonal” relationships across species, as well as their interaction with social (e.g., social rejection, isolation, bullying), and environmental factors (e.g., stress, temperatures, crowded urban places). In addition, we seek studies and/or commentaries on resilience and mental well-being factors that mitigate anger and aggressive behaviors. As exemplified by the list of guest editors, we adopt a translational perspective to strengthen the dialogue between animal and human aggression researchers. For example, we are interested in animal (e.g., housed together; mating partners) and human (e.g., peer-pressure) models of “anger” and interpersonal aggression. Moreover, we are intrigued to learn more about the impact of state versus trait anger, reactive versus proactive aggression styles (e.g., psychopathy versus intermittent-explosive disorder), reward sensitivity, and circadian rhythms as well as alcohol and other abusive substances on interpersonal aggression and its bio-behavioral risk markers. We invite all researchers working on these topics to contribute.
Most anger and aggression occur in a social context where interpersonal violence is a major public health concern across the world, (WHO 2014). Interpersonal aggression is often accompanied by anger and can manifest directly in the form of physical fights or verbal insults, or more indirectly in the form of social rejection and intimidation. These harmful societal consequences entail enormous costs in health, criminal justice, and social welfare systems and reduce mental well-being in the victims and perpetrators.
Although actuarial data in humans show that interpersonal aggression/violent crime occurs between people who know each other, the majority of animal and human experimental paradigms measures anger and aggression in an artificial laboratory context where animals or human participants are exposed to “strangers”. While bio-behavioral factors, identified in such paradigms are being characterized, deep phenotyping from knowledge on neuro-circuits as well as social and environmental factors underlying anger-infused interpersonal aggression is lacking to date.
Here, we call for original studies and commentaries which address bio-behavioral risk markers (e.g., genetic, neuro-circuits, hormones) of anger and aggression in “interpersonal” relationships across species, as well as their interaction with social (e.g., social rejection, isolation, bullying), and environmental factors (e.g., stress, temperatures, crowded urban places). In addition, we seek studies and/or commentaries on resilience and mental well-being factors that mitigate anger and aggressive behaviors. As exemplified by the list of guest editors, we adopt a translational perspective to strengthen the dialogue between animal and human aggression researchers. For example, we are interested in animal (e.g., housed together; mating partners) and human (e.g., peer-pressure) models of “anger” and interpersonal aggression. Moreover, we are intrigued to learn more about the impact of state versus trait anger, reactive versus proactive aggression styles (e.g., psychopathy versus intermittent-explosive disorder), reward sensitivity, and circadian rhythms as well as alcohol and other abusive substances on interpersonal aggression and its bio-behavioral risk markers. We invite all researchers working on these topics to contribute.
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