Women, anger, and aggression an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Virginia Eatough, Jonathan A. Smith, Rachel L. Shaw

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

This study reports a qualitative phenomenological investigation of anger and anger-related aggression in the context of the lives of individual women. Semistructured interviews with five women are analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. This inductive approach aims to capture the richness and complexity of the lived experience of emotional life. In particular, it draws attention to the context-dependent and relational dimension of angry feelings and aggressive behavior. Three analytic themes are presented here: the subjective experience of anger, which includes the perceptual confusion and bodily change felt by the women when angry, crying, and the presence of multiple emotions; the forms and contexts of aggression, paying particular attention to the range of aggressive strategies used; and anger as moral judgment, in particular perceptions of injustice and unfairness. The authors conclude by examining the analytic observations in light of phenomenological thinking.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1767-1799
Number of pages33
JournalJournal of Interpersonal Violence
Volume23
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2008

Keywords

  • anger
  • aggression
  • qualitative
  • women
  • interpretative phenomenological analysis

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