Psychological processes underlying aggressive behaviors of drivers: Qualitative analysis of narratives of drivers subjected to administrative penalties for aggressive driving

The purpose of the current study was to clarify the psychological processes underlying aggressive behavior among drivers. The narratives of 118 drivers who had been interviewed by police and later subjected to administrative punishment because of their aggressive behavior were analyzed using the Modified Grounded Theory Approach. The results identified four stages that led to the aggressive behavior: "situation before the incident," "reaction to the opponent's behavior," "behavioral intentions," and "cognition of one's behavior." Depending on "recognition of the consequences of one's behavior," aggressive behavior may terminate or relapse. In some cases, "trigger of behavioral inhibition" may promote termination of aggressive behavior. The results revealed that the presence of a primer before an incident, maintenance of anger, attribution bias, and a lack of insight were associated with offending drivers in this study. The findings suggested that interventions that apply deterrent measures for general aggressive behaviors, such as interventions that are based on cognitive-behavioral models, may be effective for reducing offences among drivers.