Marital conflict and children's emotions: The development of an anger organization

The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between anger-based m arital conflict and the development of an anger organization in children be tween the ages of 4 and 8 years old. Anger organization was defined as an a dversarial approach to relationships demonstrated through (a) short-term an ger expressions during social interaction and (b) aggression in relationshi ps. Seventy-one children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, their moth ers, and their teachers participated in the study. Mothers completed questi onnaires on anger-based marital conflict and on children's aggression. Soci ometric ratings of anger and aggression were obtained from peers. Teachers supplied reports of children's aggression. Children's short-term emotional expression and the circumstances that elicited emotions were observed durin g peer interaction. Anger-based marital conflict was found to be strongly a ssociated with peer, maternal, and teacher reports of aggression, but not w ith reports of internalizing symptomatology. Anger-based marital conflict w as also associated with short-term anger expressions, but not with short-te rm expressions of sadness. I argue that children develop an emotional organ ization in which anger predominates when they are exposed to high levels of anger-based marital conflict.