ANGER AND AGGRESSION IN WOMEN - INFLUENCE OF SPORTS CHOICE AND TESTOSTERONE ADMINISTRATION

We report on two studies of anger and aggression in women. One study c oncerns an experimental study of anger induction in aggressive and non -aggressive sportswomen. It was found that sports choice in itself, co ntrary to expectation, does not predict anger arousal and aggressive b ehavior in the laboratory. However, at an individual level the anger p roneness of the subject, as measured by a questionnaire we developed, was related to the intensity of aggressive behavior and subjectively r eported anger. The second study concerns the activating effects of and rogens on aggression and anger proneness. In a group of 22 female-to-m ale transsexuals, a battery of anger proneness and aggression question naires was administered twice: shortly before and 3 months after the s tart of androgen treatment. Administration of androgens was clearly as sociated with an increase in anger proneness, although there were no c hanges in several aspects of overt aggressive behavior. (C) 1994 Wiley -Liss, Inc.