THE ROLE OF BOREDOM PRONENESS IN SELF-REPORTED ANGER AND AGGRESSION

The effects of boredom proneness on different aspects of anger a,td ag gression were examined. Undergraduate students (N = 293) completed the Boredom Proneness Scale, the Aggression Questionnaire, and the Anger Expression Scale. Multivariate analyses of covariance indicated that h igh boredom proneness total scores were related to greater overall Agg ression and Anger scores. Individuals high in boredom proneness had si gnificantly greater scores on the Hostility subscale of the Aggression Questionnaire, as well as gl eater scores an all three subscales on t he Anger Expression Scale (Anger-In, Anger-Out, and Anger-Control). Ad ditional MANCOVAs and regression analyses indicated that the Boredom s ubscales of Internal and External Stimulation have differential effect s on anger and aggression compared to total BPS scores. The results su ggest that boredom proneness may be a contributing factor in anger and aggression, and illustrate the importance of considering the facets ( subscales) of this construct. Implications for diagnostic purposes and use in therapeutic settings are discussed.