Assessment of Anger: The State-Trait Anger Scale

Abstract

Anger, hostility and aggression are central concepts of many theories of personality. In psychopathology, the maladaptive effects of anger are traditionally emphasized as important in the etiology of psychoneurosis, depression, and schizophrenia. Recent research findings also suggest that anger and hostility contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension (e.g., Crane, 1981; Harburg, Erfurt, Hauenstein, Chape, Schull, & Schork, 1973), coronary heart disease (Friedman & Rosenman, 1974; Matthews, Glass, Rosenman, & Bortner, 1977; Spielberger & London, 1982), and cancer (Greer & Morris, 1975).