Association between betrayal trauma and typologies of anger and aggression

Abstract

Anger and aggression are related forms of externalizing phenomena that are distinct in that anger is a form of emotion, whereas aggression is a behavior. Both anger and aggression (as well as their combination) function as responses to environmental conditions, one of the most common of which is trauma. Recent research has highlighted the association between trauma high in betrayal and externalizing problems, although this research has not been examined with respect to typologies of anger and aggression specifically. In this study, we examined the association between different forms of trauma and typologies of anger and aggression in a sample of women and men recruited online (N = 364) using model-based cluster analysis and multinomial logistic regression. Results suggest that trauma with a high degree of betrayal was associated with a typology of implicit anger characterized by intense anger but controlled aggression. Findings suggest the importance of understanding the impact of betrayal on anger and aggression.