Sex Differences in Behavioral Reactions to Provocation of Anger

The purpose of this study was to examine sex differences in behavioral reactions to provocation of anger. In a field study, 72 subjects recorded all anger-arousing incidents for a 2-wk. period. Physical and Verbal Antagonism were found in more reports by men while Passive Consent was noted in more reports by women. For a laboratory study, 101 subjects responded to self-report scales of behavioral responses after exposure to an insulting letter. No sex differences were noted in subjects' self-reports of behavioral reactions. Variations in design are brought to bear in interpreting the findings.