Threat as a Determinant of Alcohol-Related Aggression

Abstract

An experimental study was performed within a modified version of the Buss “aggression-machine” paradigm testing the hypothesis that threat will inhibit aggression in intoxicated subjects given that threat is not unavoidable. 40 males were randomly assigned to either an alcohol group, drinking .08 ml of pure alcohol per kg body weight, or a placebo group, drinking only tonic. Half of the subjects in each group were exposed to a threat and the other half to no threat. At 10 opportunities subjects could choose between a nonaggressive response or an aggressive response in the form of an electric shock given to a bogus partner. Aggression was estimated in terms of number of aggressive responses, the intensity and duration of these responses, and response latency. Results clearly confirmed the hypothesis and were discussed theoretically in a model combining pharmacological and psychological factors.