Een verklaring zou kunnen zijn dat deze mensen autorijden als dwangmatig (compulsief) gaan ervaren, zodat een andere wagen, die bv. te traag rijdt, agressie zal uitlokken bij hen. Deze trage chauffeur hindert hen immers om hun compulsief rijgedrag tot uitvoering te brengen.
uit: Obsessive driving fanatics are prone to drive aggressively, Research Digest blogHere's one for the boys at Top Gear to think about - apparently having an obsessive passion for driving can predispose people towards aggression behind the wheel. The idea is that for these people, driving has become an overpowering compulsion, such that an obstacle - for example, a slow driver in front - provokes great frustration, which leads to anger, which explains why they sometimes drive right up your bumper and flash their headlights.
En de abstract van de studie:
abstract uit: FL Philippe, RJ Vallerand, I Richer, E Vallieres, & J Bergeron (2009). Passion for Driving and Aggressive Driving Behavior: A Look at Their Relationship. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 39, 3020-3043The purpose of the present research was to investigate the relationship between passion for driving and aggressive driving behavior in 3 studies. Study 1 examined the association between passion and aggressive driving behavior in a sample of undergraduate students. Results showed that an obsessive passion for driving was associated with aggressive driving behavior, while harmonious passion was not. Study 2 replicated these results with an ecologically valid sample of community-dwelling drivers. Finally, Study 3 replicated the results obtained in Studies 1 and 2 in a laboratory setting using a driving simulator under controlled frustrating driving situations with judges' assessment of aggressive driving behavior. Study 3 also showed that the emotion of anger mediated the obsessive-passion/aggressive-driving-behavior relationship.
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