Evaluation of a Domain-Specific Anger Expression Assessment Strategy

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that self-reports of an individual's anger expression vary between the home and the work domain. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity of such self-reports by comparing them with reports of intimate partners and work colleagues in the respective domain. Participants (N= 86) rated their anger expression on the general and on domain-specific versions of the State–Trait–Anger Expression Inventory (Spielberger, 1988). The self-rated anger-out-home scores correlated highly with partner ratings of anger-out-home scores (r= .61) and colleague ratings of anger-out-work scores correlated substantially with self-rated anger-out-work scores (r= .54). A similar but weaker correlation pattern emerged for anger control but not for anger-in. Self–other correspondence was higher for the domain-specific anger expression assessment than for the general anger expression assessment. These results demonstrate that the domain-specific strategy for the assessment of self-reported anger expression can validly measure differences in anger expression in different domains.

Acknowledgment

We thank Dipl.-Psych. Emily Frankenberg very much for her careful proofreading of the final version of this article.

^† Nina M. Martin died in 2006 when we were working on this article. She was a victim of a tragic car accident. We will always remember her as a dear friend and outstanding psychologist.