Effects of pessimism and explanatory style on development of anger in children

In this project 102 students in their first year of high school responded to questionnaires assessing their levels of dispositional optimism and pessimism, explanatory style and anger in relation to the school setting. A Partial Least Squares (PLS) path analysis examined relationships among these variables. Male students with helpless explanatory styles were more likely to experience higher levels of anger intensity and were more likely to resort to destructive school behaviour. Male students with a pessimistic disposition were also more likely to report higher levels of school hostility and destructive school behaviour. For females, helpless explanatory style and dispositional pessimism were related but the overall level of anger intensity did not appear to relate to destructive and aggressive behaviour. Overall the results suggest that anger management programs focusing on cognitive restructuring and related strategies can be a powerful means for reducing aggressive behaviours at school. The content and specific focus of such programs, however, may vary depending upon participants' gender and other considerations.