Aggression–hostility predicts direction of defensive responses to human threat scenarios

The personality traits of aggression–hostility, impulsive sensation seeking and neuroticism–anxiety were examined for their ability to predict styles of defense against threat. Students (N = 193) completed the Zuckerman–Kuhlman personality questionnaire ( Joireman and Kuhlman, 2004 and Zuckerman, 2002) and selected their most likely reactions to a set of human threat scenarios that were developed by Blanchard, Hynd, Minke, Minemoto, and Blanchard (2001). Low aggression–hostility and female sex predicted the tendency to orient away from threats. Female sex also predicted high intensity of chosen responses to threats. Male sex and trait aggression–hostility may contribute to a confrontational style of reaction to threatening situations. These results support a disconnection of aggressive behavior from the negative affective states accompanying avoidance motivation and the behavioral inhibition system.