Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study

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Violence and aggression remain pressing concerns in society, with forecasts indicating a significant rise by 2030. The purpose of the present study was to investigate aggression based on underlying motivations and personality mechanisms in aggressive Iranian students. Methods Eight adults (37.5% male) participated in the study. The Bass and Perry Aggression Questionnaire was completed by the participants as part of the screening process. A thematic content analysis was conducted in this study. In-depth interviews were carried out as well as open-coding inductive analysis. Results The underlying motivations of aggression were categorized into four major themes, including personal relationship improvement, self-stabilization, avoiding anger occurrence, and anger occurrence. Furthermore, the results revealed that five social, communicative, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional themes were recognized as personality factors playing a role in students' aggression. Conclusions Overall, the results obtained from the current research have led to a deeper understanding of students' aggression; Therefore, based on the identified themes, it is possible to recognize parts of underlying mechanisms of aggression and prepare appropriate interventions to reduce students' aggression. Future research should encompass a broader demographic and incorporate quantitative methods for causal exploration. Aggression Violence Personality Mechanisms Thematic content analysis 1. Introduction Violence and aggression are one of society's persistent concerns [ 1 ]. Aggressiveness has been identified as one of the top twenty causes of lost years of life with disability, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and it is expected to worsen significantly by 2030 [ 2 ]. Revealed by a previous study in Iran, a vast majority of the Iranian urban adult population had mild to moderate aggressive behaviors [ 2 ]. Aggression is defined as a spectrum of human behaviors that can result in physical or psychological harm to oneself, others, or the environment. When it becomes pervasive or acute, might suggest an underlying mental illness, a substance use disorder, or another medical concern [ 3 ]. Being aggressive is one of the most common antisocial behaviors often associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, stress, and sleep problems [ 4 , 5 ], particularly among those aged 15 to 44; as a result, students are one of the most vulnerable communities to violent behavior [ 6 ]. Failure leads to aggressiveness, and university is one of the frustrating environments for people. Students' unfamiliarity with the new environment, academic issues, and mental conflicts over their future careers all contribute to mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as interpersonal problems like violence and aggressiveness [ 7 ]. An important classification of aggression distinguishes between proactive and reactive aggression. Proactive aggression involves deliberate and externally reinforced attacks that occur without provocation and are driven by instrumental motivation, while reactive aggression is defined as an impulse that involves neuro-defensive responses to frustration or provocation [ 8 , 9 ]. The distinction between reactive and proactive aggression is mainly about individual traits, which implies that although such classifications are frequently used interchangeably, they should not be considered completely equal [ 10 ]. According to previous studies, these distinct forms of aggression are associated with unique reasons, motivations, and outcomes [ 11 , 12 ]. Research on the relationship between diagnostic and motivational aspects of aggression often focuses on individual characteristics [ 13 ]. Furthermore, various aggressive motivations may be driven by a distinct subjective factor that is alterable for individuals with specific personality traits [ 14 ]. By studying reports and literature reviews, researchers have introduced the six-trait model for understanding personality, called Hexaco in recent years [ 15 – 17 ]. Honesty-Humility (HH) is the sixth factor, composed of several components (fairness, honesty, humility, and avoidance of greed) that can predict behavior differently [ 16 ]. Humility, for instance, is a positive emotional state that involves an accurate perspective of oneself, the ability to identify personal defects, openness to experiences, and appreciation for the world and people, which has the ability to reduce aggression [ 18 ]. Theoretically, low HH may be correlated with aggression [ 19 ]. People with low HH are more interested in financial and personal benefits, therefore when they are unable to achieve these goals, they are more prone to violent behavior [ 20 ]. In fact, low HH is strongly associated with reporting proactive and reactive aggression [ 21 ]. It should be mentioned that a few qualitative studies have been conducted on the motivation and personality mechanisms regarding the occurrence of aggression [ 22 , 23 ], and in this regard, qualitative research is required to identify these variables. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to analyze aggression based on underlying motivations and personality mechanisms in aggressive Iranian students. 2. Materials & Methods The findings of this study are reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist [ 24 ]. Also, this study followed the guidelines proposed by the Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) for quantitative research, and adapted the JARS–Qual checklist, an extension of the JARS guidelines for qualitative research reporting. The current qualitative study, based on thematic analysis, evaluated the underlying motivations and personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior. In this study, a semi-structured in-depth interview method was implemented. 2.1. Ethics Approval Participation in the study was voluntary and students signed informed consent forms prior to participation in the study. The study had no risk or harm to participants and participants had the right to withdraw from the study at any stage. Also, this study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, code: IR. UT. PSYEDU. REC. 1400. 014. The study ensured information confidentiality and privacy. 2.2. Sampling This study used purposive sampling to select the participants. All participants were Iranian students enrolled in the study based on inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: obtaining a score higher than 87 on the Bass and Perry aggression questionnaire [ 25 ], age range from 18 to 30 years, and not having severe psychiatric disorders (according to the comments of the participants). None of the students refused to participate in the study and they all completed the entire course of the study. The mean age of the participants was 25.12 years. There were three male (37.5%) and five female (62,5%) participants (Table 1 ). Table 1 Demographic description of participants (n = 8) Participants code Gender Age Marital status Education 1 Female 20 Single Bachelor 2 Female 28 Single Ph.D. 3 Female 23 Single Master 4 Female 22 Married Bachelor 5 Male 24 Single Master 6 Male 25 Single Master 7 Male 30 Single Master 8 Female 29 Married Master 2.3. Data collection After meeting the inclusion criteria, and obtaining the written consent of students to participate in this study, data were collected by semi-structured in-depth interviews patient. Each interview was conducted by phone, lasted approximately 40 min, and was digitally recorded for subsequent analyses. One female master candidate (M. A.) in clinical psychology at the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, who had already received training on the implementation of qualitative studies, held the interviews. None of the participants knew her. The interviewer introduced herself to the participants before the beginning of each interview. The interviews were held only once and were not repeated. Sampling continued until data saturation occurred, and thematic theoretical saturation was also used to ensure content adequacy for extracting themes. Data saturation was reached with seven participants, but to ensure that no new data were generated, one more interview was conducted, and the sample size increased to eight people. 2.4. Statistical analysis Thematic analysis was used to detect patterns or themes from qualitative data. In this case, the six steps proposed by Clark and Brown were used [ 26 , 27 ]. The raw data derived from the interviews were used for the analysis. The content of the interviews was transcribed verbatim immediately after each interview. Field notes were made during the interviews and were reviewed at this stage. The author (M. A.) read the interviews several times to immerse in the data and got familiar with it. Coding procedures were done using MAXQDA software (version 2018). By linking the codes together, their common patterns and concepts were extracted, and potential themes and subthemes were identified, keeping the research questions in mind. The data related to the themes were then collected and examined to verify the accuracy of the themes and subthemes, which resulted in nine final themes. Several statements were selected from the interviews as examples and are reported in the results section. To preserve anonymity, instead of participants’ names and ages, they are represented by random numbers in the results. 3. Results According to the results, 31 code example were identified about underlying motivations of aggression based on the semantic units of the interviews, and then by reviewing these codes, 10 subthemes were identified. Finally, 4 major themes were determined to define the themes and classify the results. (Table 2 ) Table 2 Categories of underlying motivations of aggression Order Themes Subthemes Code Examples 1 Personal Relationship Improvement Avoidance from others Detachment from others Desire for non-conflict Relationship preservation Fear of rejection Abuse experience Managing rejection 2 Self-stabilization Wrongdoer punishment Revenge Wrongdoer's apology Self-confirmation Proof of not making mistakes Convincing the other side Change in other's response Despair of change Lack of comprehension Failure to fulfill the demand Improvement of self-situation Earn points Negative energy discharge 3 Avoiding anger's occurrence Disruptive behaviors Crying Driving Going out Studying Exercising Avoiding aggressive atmosphere Sleeping Self-talk Listening to music Involving others Talking to a friend Conversation with others Aggression displacement 4 Anger's occurrence Physical aggression Fighting Throwing things Physical-verbal aggression Swearing and cursing Turning up the volume Feeling of physical pressure and cramping 3.1. Personal Relationship Improvement When the level of intimacy and distance in relationships between youths exceeds what they expected, aggressiveness is employed to close the gap. This aggression has been directed toward increasing distance and sometimes toward decreasing distance and increasing closeness. The subtheme "Avoidance from others" revealed that students tried to maintain their distance from others at times by showing aggression. The subtheme "maintaining the relationship" also demonstrated that on the opposite side of the relationship continuum, aggression was sometimes motivated by an action to increase the level of intimacy and a response to feelings of rejection. Participant No. 3: “What people think about me is very important to me; for example, I don't want for anyone to be upset with me; I want everyone to be happy with me; and I don't like anyone to dislike me; this bothers me deeply.” Participant No. 8: “I suffered a very bad trauma from him, so when I see the signs, I take that guard.” 3.2. Self-stabilization In some cases, students' motivation from aggression was to maintain and adjust their position as the one who did not make a mistake while other did. The subtheme "Wrongdoer punishment " demonstrated that when students believed their rights had been violated, they attempted to reclaim their rightful position by reacting or compelling the other person to apologize, which was accompanied by a level of aggression. The other subtheme " Self-confirmation " meant trying to prove the correctness of one's opinion or action. The subtheme " Change in other's response " expressed the students' motivation to use aggression was to change the other’s behavior or achieve their own desire by changing another's behavior. Eventually, the subtheme "Improvement of self-situation "depicted aggression's motivation as taking advantage of others or releasing one's bad energy. The important point was that the person who is the focus of anger is not always the guilty person, and the student may choose to target a third person in order to improve themselves. Participant No. 3: “If I am hurt, I will retaliate in any way I can, but I believe it depends on the other side.” Participant No. 4: “To show that he was wrong and I was right, and to prove that I was right.” Participant No. 7: “Well, I think that I want others to hear my words because I feel that they will be convinced like this.” Participant No. 2: “Sometimes if I speak calmly. He doesn't listen and does his own thing again or says his own words. It means that he is conditional, I have to raise my voice to get an answer, that is, to get the point I want, now that point is that he understands what I am saying, for example.” 3.3. Avoiding anger's occurrence Considering that these behaviors do not result in an efficient resolution of aggression and are mostly a temporary avoidance of the violent situation, it is likely that the individual will continue to be aggressive and angry. "Disruptive behaviors" was one of the subthemes, which showed that students with the motivation to avoid and escape from violent circumstances, are attempting to adopt calming or avoidance behaviors such as driving, going out, leaving the situation, or even sleeping. Another subtheme " Involving others "indicates that in some cases, students show the motivation to avoid aggression by talking or even being aggressive to another person. Participant No. 8: “I drive, so when I come back, I calm down a bit.” Participant No. 4: “I try to be alone and would prefer that no one say anything to me at that time.” Participant No. 2: “I talk to someone about the things that made me angry.” Participant No. 5: “I believe I irritated the other drivers until I arrived at my destination.” 3.4. Anger's occurrence The motivation for a person's verbal and nonverbal aggression stems from the experience of an inner feeling of anger, and after experiencing it, aggressive behaviors begin. "Physical aggression" was one of the subthemes, indicating physical action and throwing objects after feeling angry. The subtheme of "Physical-Verbal Aggression" suggested that the feeling of anger was a fundamental reason for committing verbal aggression in the form of raising the voice or swearing, as well as the perception of physical tension caused by the emotion of anger. Participant No. 4: “I feel really heavy, and my body and face are cramped.” Participant No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 8: “I raise my voice or usually yell.” Regarding personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior based on the semantic units of the interviews, 25 code examples were discovered, and then 10 subthemes were established by reviewing these codes. Finally, 5 major themes were recognized in order to define the themes and categorize the data. (Table 3 ) Table 3 Categories of personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior Order Themes Subthemes Code Examples 1 Social Creditorism Being reliable Being logical Antisocial streaks Desire for lawlessness Desire to lie 2 Communicative Open and borderless interactive style Not respecting self-boundaries with others Excessive love and kindness open friend well-mannered Conflict-inducing in close relationship interactive style Conflict with others Conflict with father Conflict with mother Feeling comfortable with others 3 Behavioral Impulsive behavior Getting nervous easily Low threshold of patience and tolerance Being irritable Behavioral deficiency Lack of attention control Procrastination Expressing aggression disproportionate to the situation 4 Cognitive Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Not seeking opinion Lack of consultation Self-centeredness 5 Emotional Feeling guilty Negative self-judgment for expressing aggression Negative self-judgment of not expressing aggression Feeling guilty Emotional suppression Subsiding anger 3.5. Social This theme represents the students' desire to be authentic or their antisocial tendencies, which can lead to violence; in other words, aggressiveness can be used to maintain a person's social prestige or is affected by a person's antisocial traits. The content of the subtheme "Creditorism" indicated that establishing an authentic and acceptable personality in students can result in aggressiveness. Another subtheme, "Antisocial streaks," suggested that personality tendencies to disobey the law and lie could contribute to hostility in students. Participant No. 7: “I think I'm more logical than emotional, I don't make decisions based on feelings.” Participant No. 7: “To be honest, I often wonder what I would have done if the consequences hadn't worked... Yes, I would have taken money. I beat many people to death.” Participant No. 5, 7: “If I'm stuck at work and don't have any other options, then yes, I'm lying.” 3.6. Communicative Most of the time, aggressive students revealed a unique personality in their interactions and communication. In this way, they were sensitive and conflicted in their relationships with their families, yet borderless and overly kind in their connections to others who may not have had intimate relationships. As a subtheme, "Open and borderless interactive style" represented the fact that aggressive students generally connect with others in a borderless and close manner. Another subtheme of "Conflict-inducing in close relationship interactive style" was the expression of sensitive characteristics in close relationships with family and close friends rather than relationships with others, which leads to conflict and aggressiveness. Participant No. 3: “I am also a flexible person, I usually get along with all kinds of people, I am ok with everyone, I usually have good time and most of them like me.” Participant No. 4: “I always go the extra mile for someone in my life, whether it's a boy or a girl.” Participant No. 5: “Others say that he is sociable, foul-mouthed, teased, nimble, and has fun with him, I've heard this from my friends, he is calm and a nice friend.” Participant No. 3: “I was napping in the afternoon when my brother slammed the door shut. I woke from sleep and expressed my anger completely, shouting and screaming.” Participant No. 4: “My family witnesses most of my rage. I scold them more since I am mostly at home and in contact with them... with my mom because I am in touch with her more.” 3.7. Behavioral Students with impulsive personalities and a lack of attention may become aggressive. One of the subthemes, "Impulsive behavior", showed that aggressive students identified themselves as nervous irritated, and impatient, which could lead to aggressiveness. According to the subtheme of "Behavioral deficiency," one of the personality traits of aggressive students is the lack of attention and negligence that interferes with daily activities. Participant No. 4, 8: “My flaw is that I get angry quickly.” Participant No. 4: “For example, if someone comes up to me and says something negative about one of my friends, I may react fast and cut off the connection.” Participant No. 4: “I get distracted easily. I can't directly follow something in each activity. I used to be able to, but not anymore.” Participant No. 3: “Another annoying thing about me is that I procrastinate... As an example, I am afraid of starting something, perhaps this will prevent me from completing it.” 3.8. Cognitive The cognitions that organize aggressive students' personalities are obsessive and self-opinionated. One of the subthemes, "Obsessive-compulsive disorder," causes people to ruminate on unpleasant issues, and because they hold those difficulties in their minds, their anger and violence manifest in their personality. The subtheme "Not seeking opinion" suggested that aggressive students typically act arbitrarily and autocratically, without consulting with close friends and family. This lack of consultation dissatisfies family and friends, laying the groundwork for conflict and aggressiveness. Participant No. 3: “One negative trait I have is resentment; for example, if someone does anything to me, it sticks with me for a long time, which is not good. It ate me up.” Participant No. 4: “They say that you don't want to accept something, you don't listen to a friend until you come and understand that it was a mistake.” Participant No. 1: “Most of my friends, family, and others believe I am selfish.” 3.9. Emotional Aggressive students have an emotionally repressive and self-critical personality. In other words, not only they do not give their feelings enough credit, but their emotional processing can result in inconsistent violence. The "Feeling Guilty" subtheme suggested that aggressive students blame themselves for both expressing aggression and not expressing aggressiveness. In both circumstances, students' anger increases in their personality organization as a result of their dissatisfaction with their choices. Finally, "Emotional suppression" revealed that aggressive students frequently suppress their anger rather than expressing or managing it, which might lead to out-of-control hostility in them. Participant No. 2: “Well, when I get angry, I tell myself that there was really no reason to show your anger so much, I see myself as an irrational person.” Participant No. 8: “For example, I ask myself, "Why did you do this? You should Make her pay for what she's done.” Participant No. 4, 7, 8: “I think I suppress my anger more; that is, I don't like to express it, and sometimes I feel like it builds up and I show it all at once. But, in general, I suppress it.” 4. Discussion This study categorized the underlying motivations for aggression and personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior into four and five themes, respectively. The first major theme of this study was "Personal Relationship Improvement". Research suggests that fear of rejection is linked to aggressive behavior in relationships, and the pain of rejection and the pleasure of revenge lead rejected individuals to act aggressively [ 28 , 29 ]. People act aggressively in situations where there is a possibility of rejection and a lack of respect for privacy, motivated by self-defense and distance regulation. In other words, real experience of rejection (signs of rejection) and a failure to respect private and personal boundaries in relationships serve as a catalyst for hostile thoughts and violent behavior [ 30 ]. The role of communication and a sense of belonging in the incidence of violence has been underlined in several theories. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, for instance, one of the fundamental needs is a desire to belong, the failure of which provides a reason for aggression [ 31 ]. Similarly, the participants in this study used aggressive verbal and non-verbal behaviors to avoid rejection in close relationships or intruding on someone's privacy. According to the results of the present study, "Self-stabilization" was another major theme identified for aggression motivation, indicating that students' motivation for violence in some situations was to stabilize and modify their position. In the same line, the study by Mischkowski et al., has also revealed that a threat to one's status, as well as the possibility of being questioned and humiliated, leads to the emergence of aggressive motivation [ 32 ]. Aggressiveness, particularly maladaptive and harmful aggression, is most likely the result of inadequacy, instability, and a negative mindset [ 33 ]. A similar conclusion could be drawn from the current study that in some cases, students' underlying motive for engaging in violence was to strengthen their position as valuable people who made no mistakes. The motivation of self-stabilization through aggressiveness is largely the opposite of the character's humility element [ 22 , 23 ]. Anger and aggressiveness are reduced by humility. As a result, there is a chance that the personality component of humility limits the development of superior motivations in interactions with others, which can be followed by aggressive behaviors to reinforce one's point of view or to persuade others. Mischkowski et al [ 32 ] stated that avoiding violence because it is unrelated to the resolution of the problem and the challenge of aggression, creates psychological pressure and motivation to express hostility. Similarly, the current study's findings suggest that the major theme "Avoiding Anger's Occurrence" did not always express individual motivations prior to expressing an act of aggression, and it is likely that aggressiveness and the context of aggression itself is a motivation for performing such behaviors in the face of violence. According to the results, "Anger's occurrence" was another major theme that represented the inner experience of being angry and directing one's actions toward violence. In other words, the motivation for a person's verbal and nonverbal aggression stems from the experience of an inner feeling of anger, and aggressive behaviors follow. Similarly, Deffenbacher et al. [ 34 ], indicated that the trait and state of anger has a significant relationship with aggressive behaviors. These findings are also consistent with the results reported by Fung et al. [ 35 ], who cited expressing anger against individuals or objects as an approach to expressing aggression. The major theme of "Social" reflected mechanisms and personality traits of the students' desire to be authentic, as well as their antisocial tendencies, which could lead to the emergence of aggressiveness. Similar to the studies carried out by Salmivalli [ 36 ] and Mischkowski et al. [ 32 ], the present study demonstrated consistent results based on the fact that threats to one's position and being questioned lead to the formation of hostility. Gillespie, Brzozowski, & Mitchell [ 37 ], concluded that antisocial tendencies are related to aggressive behavior and that their personality origin is caused by the inability to self-regulate in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. In society, the Honesty-Humility personality factor could reduce the level of violence in order to improve personal status and get benefits and privileges at any cost. Because humility does not consider the desire to be superior and approved. Honesty, on the other hand, demonstrates the absence of deception and acceptance of the proper and true situation [ 15 ]. "Communicative "was another major theme, which revealed that aggressive students were sensitive and unhappy in their intimate relationships, but unbounded and overly kind in their relationships with others who did not have close ties. These results are consistent with the findings reported by Chester et al. [ 28 ], and Gao et al. [ 29 ]. Students could display aggressive behavior in intimate relationships due to their high sensitivity to rejection and disapproval, which can lead to the development of conflict in the relationship [ 38 ]. As indicated by the major theme of "Behavioral", aggressive students behaviorally have an impulsive personality with low attention and aggressive behavior disproportionate to the situation. The inability to inhibit the response can lead to aggression as a result of frustration [ 7 ]. As a result of this, it might be possible to argue that a lack of attention control to undertake planned behaviors, as well as procrastination in achieving set goals and plans, leads to an increase in aggressiveness. This finding is in line with Conejero et al. [ 9 ] and King & Waschbusch [ 39 ], who revealed a correlation between aggression and attention deficit. According to the major "Cognitive" theme, aggressive students perceive their personality organizations as obsessive and self-opinionated. Lack of opinion, which is accompanied by arbitrary behavior and disrespect for others, has the potential to develop into violence and aggression towards others as a personality trait. Furthermore, since not asking for opinions is a display of arrogance and self-opinion, the factor of Honesty-Humility probably represents an underlying personality mechanism, that demonstrates respect for individuals and their points of view [ 15 ]. Finally, another major theme expressed was the "Emotional" mechanism of personality in students' aggression. According to the interview analysis, angry students had an emotionally suppressive and self-critical personality. Students with emotionally suppressive personalities accumulate negative emotions, and a lack of emotional control leads to violent behavior [ 32 ]. Excessive emotion regulation with self-blame, which is accompanied by growing negative emotions, reduced resistance to aggression, jeopardizing decision-making processes, decreased social networks, increased physiological arousal, and hindered the resolution of difficult situations, can also contribute to aggressive behavior [ 12 ]. 4.1 Limitation A major limitation of this study was that the study sample was students. Given the differences in this community's level of knowledge and awareness compared to the general population, the findings may be confined to a better understanding of aggression in this population. Also, the generalizability of this study is low due to the qualitative nature. As a result, conducting mixed methods and quantitative research, such as longitudinal and cross-sectional study, is required to test our findings in a larger sample size in order to evaluate the causal relationships between the findings. 5. Conclusion The current qualitative study showed that the underlying motivations of aggression were personal relationship improvement, self-stabilization, avoiding anger's occurrence, and anger occurrence. Furthermore, the results revealed that five social, communicative, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional personality factors play a role in students' rage. Conducting similar studies on the samples from the country's non-student population is recommended. The quantitative assessment of individual with a larger sample size is also a recommendation for future research. Overall, the findings of this study have contributed to a better understanding of student aggressiveness. Based on the identified themes, it can be possible to recognize aggression and plan appropriate interventions to reduce students' aggression. These results can be used to creating and examining an educational package for its effectiveness in reducing student aggression. Declarations 6.1 Acknowledgements This paper is the result of the thesis in the Master of Art in Clinical Psychology titled (Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study) Funding This study was unfunded and did not receive any external funding. It was conducted as part of the Master of Art in Clinical Psychology thesis titled (Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study) Consent for publication Not applicable. Conflict of interests The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article. 6.5 Data Availability The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available considering that we have not required consents to publish this data, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. 6.6 Ethics approval This study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, code: IR. UT. PSYEDU. REC. 1400. 014. This study is considered voluntary participation. Each participant had to sign an informed consent form before entering the study and were informed of its objectives and protocol. 6.7 Author contributions MA, ZT conceived the study idea and design. MA conducted the interviews. MA, ZT and HF conducted transcription and data analysis. MA, ZT interpreted and presented the results, and contributed to the manuscript. 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MacDonell, E.T. and T. Willoughby, Investigating honesty-humility and impulsivity as predictors of aggression in children and youth. Aggress Behav, 2020. 46 (1): p. 97-106. Tong, A., P. Sainsbury, and J. Craig, Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research (COREQ): a 32-item checklist for interviews and focus groups. Int J Qual Health Care, 2007. 19 (6): p. 349-57. Buss, A.H. and M. Perry, The aggression questionnaire. J Pers Soc Psychol, 1992. 63 (3): p. 452-9. Braun, V. and V. Clarke, (Mis)conceptualising themes, thematic analysis, and other problems with Fugard and Potts’ (2015) sample-size tool for thematic analysis. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 2016. 19 : p. 1-5. Braun, V. and V. Clarke, Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2006. 3 : p. 77-101. Chester, D.S., et al., Neural mechanisms of the rejection-aggression link. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci, 2018. 13 (5): p. 501-512. Gao, S., et al., Associations Between Rejection Sensitivity, Aggression, and Victimization: A Meta-Analytic Review. Trauma Violence Abuse, 2021. 22 (1): p. 125-135. Romero-Canyas, R., et al., Rejection sensitivity and the rejection-hostility link in romantic relationships. J Pers, 2010. 78 (1): p. 119-48. Osemeke, M. and S. Adegboyega, Critical review and comparism between Maslow, Herzberg and McClelland’s theory of needs. Funai journal of accounting, business and finance, 2017. 1 (1): p. 161-173. Mischkowski, D., E. Kross, and B.J. Bushman, Flies on the wall are less aggressive: Self-distancing “in the heat of the moment” reduces aggressive thoughts, angry feelings and aggressive behavior. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 2012. 48 (5): p. 1187-1191. García-Vázquez, F.I., A.A. Valdés-Cuervo, and L.G. Parra-Pérez, The Effects of Forgiveness, Gratitude, and Self-Control on Reactive and Proactive Aggression in Bullying. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 2020. 17 (16). Deffenbacher, J.L., et al., Anger, aggression, and risky behavior: a comparison of high and low anger drivers. Behav Res Ther, 2003. 41 (6): p. 701-18. Fung, A.L.C., et al., Relationship of Aggression to Anxiety, Depression, Anger, and Empathy in Hong Kong. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2015. 24 (3): p. 821-831. Salmivalli, C., Feeling good about oneself, being bad to others? Remarks on self-esteem, hostility, and aggressive behavior. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2001. 6 (4): p. 375-393. Gillespie, S.M., A. Brzozowski, and I.J. Mitchell, Self-regulation and aggressive antisocial behaviour: Insights from amygdala-prefrontal and heart-brain interactions. Psychology, Crime & Law, 2018. 24 (3): p. 243-257. Bondü, R. and B. Krahé, Links of justice and rejection sensitivity with aggression in childhood and adolescence. Aggressive Behavior, 2014. 41 . King, S. and D.A. Waschbusch, Aggression in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Expert Rev Neurother, 2010. 10 (10): p. 1581-94. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files JARSchecklist.pdf coreqchecklist.pdf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3829904","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":265053394,"identity":"decffbcb-78ee-4979-9592-15e5a30f19e6","order_by":0,"name":"Monireh Akbari","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Tehran","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Monireh","middleName":"","lastName":"Akbari","suffix":""},{"id":265053395,"identity":"093a18c9-b318-48a4-b2bb-ac3cc7303a40","order_by":1,"name":"Zahra Taherifar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA3UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYJACZiDmYW9gYHwA4TM2ENQA1sJzgIHZgCGBBC0MQC1sEhAtBIB8A//BzwUV92R42M8+q+b9wSDP38Dc9gGfFsYGZmbpGWeKeXh40s1u8yQwGM44wNg8g5CzpHnbEnjsGdLYQFoYNzAwNuN1GBsDM/Nv3n8JPDz8z9iKgVrsCWrhYWBmk+ZtAGqRSGNjBmpJJKhFgpnZzJrnGEjLM2bJOWkSyTMOE9Ai3974+DZPTYI9D38a44c3Nja2/e3tj/FqgUQKkq0YIqNgFIyCUTAKyAAA9XIz+c0IjoAAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"University of Tehran","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zahra","middleName":"","lastName":"Taherifar","suffix":""},{"id":265053396,"identity":"bb63ceac-86c2-45e5-95e0-41e0cdebd9cd","order_by":2,"name":"Hojatolah Farahani","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Tarbiat Modares University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hojatolah","middleName":"","lastName":"Farahani","suffix":""},{"id":265053397,"identity":"1333cf9a-9aed-407d-b693-9147da2d7980","order_by":3,"name":"Niloofar Fallahinia","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Iran University of Medical Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Niloofar","middleName":"","lastName":"Fallahinia","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-01-02 16:14:15","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3829904/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3829904/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":69110403,"identity":"3d97b7cf-4ac1-4c8c-80f4-e7ac29c2bd23","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-11-15 19:01:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":644982,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3829904/v1/06543fa5-0c9b-4932-a102-59244bf8ab76.pdf"},{"id":49185501,"identity":"12dafc9c-de14-4ce0-a70e-dbc57bcf2a2a","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-04 16:35:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":451443,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"JARSchecklist.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3829904/v1/c0b7261b1c37b9214f2bb748.pdf"},{"id":49185146,"identity":"b6cabd94-4474-4024-8850-4b0395be7224","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2024-01-04 16:27:35","extension":"pdf","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":317716,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"coreqchecklist.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-3829904/v1/ad83b0cfd4ef22f935a1330a.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study","fulltext":[{"header":"1. Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eViolence and aggression are one of society's persistent concerns [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e]. Aggressiveness has been identified as one of the top twenty causes of lost years of life with disability, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), and it is expected to worsen significantly by 2030 [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Revealed by a previous study in Iran, a vast majority of the Iranian urban adult population had mild to moderate aggressive behaviors [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e]. Aggression is defined as a spectrum of human behaviors that can result in physical or psychological harm to oneself, others, or the environment. When it becomes pervasive or acute, might suggest an underlying mental illness, a substance use disorder, or another medical concern [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e]. Being aggressive is one of the most common antisocial behaviors often associated with depression, anxiety, loneliness, low self-esteem, stress, and sleep problems [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e5\u003c/span\u003e], particularly among those aged 15 to 44; as a result, students are one of the most vulnerable communities to violent behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e6\u003c/span\u003e]. Failure leads to aggressiveness, and university is one of the frustrating environments for people. Students' unfamiliarity with the new environment, academic issues, and mental conflicts over their future careers all contribute to mental disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as interpersonal problems like violence and aggressiveness [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAn important classification of aggression distinguishes between proactive and reactive aggression. Proactive aggression involves deliberate and externally reinforced attacks that occur without provocation and are driven by instrumental motivation, while reactive aggression is defined as an impulse that involves neuro-defensive responses to frustration or provocation\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e[\u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e8\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e]. The distinction between reactive and proactive aggression is mainly about individual traits, which implies that although such classifications are frequently used interchangeably, they should not be considered completely equal [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e10\u003c/span\u003e]. According to previous studies, these distinct forms of aggression are associated with unique reasons, motivations, and outcomes [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e11\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e]. Research on the relationship between diagnostic and motivational aspects of aggression often focuses on individual characteristics [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e13\u003c/span\u003e]. Furthermore, various aggressive motivations may be driven by a distinct subjective factor that is alterable for individuals with specific personality traits [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e14\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBy studying reports and literature reviews, researchers have introduced the six-trait model for understanding personality, called Hexaco in recent years [\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\"CR16\" citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e\u0026ndash;\u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e17\u003c/span\u003e]. Honesty-Humility (HH) is the sixth factor, composed of several components (fairness, honesty, humility, and avoidance of greed) that can predict behavior differently [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e16\u003c/span\u003e]. Humility, for instance, is a positive emotional state that involves an accurate perspective of oneself, the ability to identify personal defects, openness to experiences, and appreciation for the world and people, which has the ability to reduce aggression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e18\u003c/span\u003e]. Theoretically, low HH may be correlated with aggression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e19\u003c/span\u003e]. People with low HH are more interested in financial and personal benefits, therefore when they are unable to achieve these goals, they are more prone to violent behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e20\u003c/span\u003e]. In fact, low HH is strongly associated with reporting proactive and reactive aggression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e21\u003c/span\u003e]. It should be mentioned that a few qualitative studies have been conducted on the motivation and personality mechanisms regarding the occurrence of aggression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e], and in this regard, qualitative research is required to identify these variables. Therefore, the present qualitative study aims to analyze aggression based on underlying motivations and personality mechanisms in aggressive Iranian students.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"2. Materials \u0026 Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe findings of this study are reported according to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Research (COREQ) checklist [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e24\u003c/span\u003e]. Also, this study followed the guidelines proposed by the Journal Article Reporting Standards (JARS) for quantitative research, and adapted the JARS\u0026ndash;Qual checklist, an extension of the JARS guidelines for qualitative research reporting. The current qualitative study, based on thematic analysis, evaluated the underlying motivations and personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior. In this study, a semi-structured in-depth interview method was implemented.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.1. Ethics Approval\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e Participation in the study was voluntary and students signed informed consent forms prior to participation in the study. The study had no risk or harm to participants and participants had the right to withdraw from the study at any stage. Also, this study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran,\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ecode: IR. UT. PSYEDU. REC. 1400. 014. The study ensured information confidentiality and privacy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec4\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.2. Sampling\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis study used purposive sampling to select the participants. All participants were Iranian students enrolled in the study based on inclusion criteria. The inclusion criteria were: obtaining a score higher than 87 on the Bass and Perry aggression questionnaire [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e25\u003c/span\u003e], age range from 18 to 30 years, and not having severe psychiatric disorders (according to the comments of the participants). None of the students refused to participate in the study and they all completed the entire course of the study. The mean age of the participants was 25.12 years. There were three male (37.5%) and five female (62,5%) participants (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDemographic description of participants (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;8)\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"5\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"char\" char=\".\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eParticipants code\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGender\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAge\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarital status\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eEducation\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e1\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e20\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBachelor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e2\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e28\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003ePh.D.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e3\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e23\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e4\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e22\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarried\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBachelor\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e5\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e24\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e6\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e25\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e7\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e30\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSingle\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e8\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFemale\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"char\" char=\".\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e29\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMarried\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMaster\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec5\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.3. Data collection\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter meeting the inclusion criteria, and obtaining the written consent of students to participate in this study, data were collected by semi-structured in-depth interviews patient. Each interview was conducted by phone, lasted approximately 40 min, and was digitally recorded for subsequent analyses. One female master candidate (M. A.) in clinical psychology at the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran, who had already received training on the implementation of qualitative studies, held the interviews. None of the participants knew her. The interviewer introduced herself to the participants before the beginning of each interview. The interviews were held only once and were not repeated. Sampling continued until data saturation occurred, and thematic theoretical saturation was also used to ensure content adequacy for extracting themes. Data saturation was reached with seven participants, but to ensure that no new data were generated, one more interview was conducted, and the sample size increased to eight people.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec6\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e2.4. Statistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThematic analysis was used to detect patterns or themes from qualitative data. In this case, the six steps proposed by Clark and Brown were used [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e26\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e27\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe raw data derived from the interviews were used for the analysis. The content of the interviews was transcribed verbatim immediately after each interview. Field notes were made during the interviews and were reviewed at this stage. The author (M. A.) read the interviews several times to immerse in the data and got familiar with it. Coding procedures were done using MAXQDA software (version 2018). By linking the codes together, their common patterns and concepts were extracted, and potential themes and subthemes were identified, keeping the research questions in mind. The data related to the themes were then collected and examined to verify the accuracy of the themes and subthemes, which resulted in nine final themes. Several statements were selected from the interviews as examples and are reported in the \u003cspan refid=\"Sec7\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003eresults\u003c/span\u003e section. To preserve anonymity, instead of participants\u0026rsquo; names and ages, they are represented by random numbers in the results.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"3. Results","content":"\u003cp\u003e According to the results, 31 code example were identified about underlying motivations of aggression based on the semantic units of the interviews, and then by reviewing these codes, 10 subthemes were identified. Finally, 4 major themes were determined to define the themes and classify the results. (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCategories of underlying motivations of aggression\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThemes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubthemes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCode Examples\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePersonal Relationship Improvement\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvoidance from others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDetachment from others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDesire for non-conflict\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRelationship preservation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFear of rejection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAbuse experience\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eManaging rejection\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"8\" rowspan=\"9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"8\" rowspan=\"9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-stabilization\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWrongdoer punishment\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eRevenge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eWrongdoer's apology\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-confirmation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProof of not making mistakes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConvincing the other side\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eChange in other's response\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespair of change\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of comprehension\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFailure to fulfill the demand\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImprovement of self-situation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEarn points\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNegative energy discharge\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"11\" rowspan=\"12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"11\" rowspan=\"12\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvoiding anger's occurrence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"8\" rowspan=\"9\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDisruptive behaviors\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrying\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDriving\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGoing out\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudying\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExercising\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAvoiding aggressive atmosphere\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSleeping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-talk\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eListening to music\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eInvolving others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTalking to a friend\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConversation with others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAggression displacement\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"4\" rowspan=\"5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAnger's occurrence\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical aggression\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFighting\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThrowing things\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ePhysical-verbal aggression\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSwearing and cursing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTurning up the volume\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeeling of physical pressure and cramping\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.1. Personal Relationship Improvement\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhen the level of intimacy and distance in relationships between youths exceeds what they expected, aggressiveness is employed to close the gap. This aggression has been directed toward increasing distance and sometimes toward decreasing distance and increasing closeness. The subtheme \"Avoidance from others\" revealed that students tried to maintain their distance from others at times by showing aggression. The subtheme \"maintaining the relationship\" also demonstrated that on the opposite side of the relationship continuum, aggression was sometimes motivated by an action to increase the level of intimacy and a response to feelings of rejection.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;What people think about me is very important to me; for example, I don't want for anyone to be upset with me; I want everyone to be happy with me; and I don't like anyone to dislike me; this bothers me deeply.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I suffered a very bad trauma from him, so when I see the signs, I take that guard.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec9\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.2. Self-stabilization\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn some cases, students' motivation from aggression was to maintain and adjust their position as the one who did not make a mistake while other did. The subtheme \"Wrongdoer punishment \" demonstrated that when students believed their rights had been violated, they attempted to reclaim their rightful position by reacting or compelling the other person to apologize, which was accompanied by a level of aggression. The other subtheme \" Self-confirmation \" meant trying to prove the correctness of one's opinion or action. The subtheme \" Change in other's response \" expressed the students' motivation to use aggression was to change the other\u0026rsquo;s behavior or achieve their own desire by changing another's behavior. Eventually, the subtheme \"Improvement of self-situation \"depicted aggression's motivation as taking advantage of others or releasing one's bad energy. The important point was that the person who is the focus of anger is not always the guilty person, and the student may choose to target a third person in order to improve themselves.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;If I am hurt, I will retaliate in any way I can, but I believe it depends on the other side.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;To show that he was wrong and I was right, and to prove that I was right.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 7: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Well, I think that I want others to hear my words because I feel that they will be convinced like this.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 2: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Sometimes if I speak calmly. He doesn't listen and does his own thing again or says his own words. It means that he is conditional, I have to raise my voice to get an answer, that is, to get the point I want, now that point is that he understands what I am saying, for example.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec10\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.3. Avoiding anger's occurrence\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eConsidering that these behaviors do not result in an efficient resolution of aggression and are mostly a temporary avoidance of the violent situation, it is likely that the individual will continue to be aggressive and angry. \"Disruptive behaviors\" was one of the subthemes, which showed that students with the motivation to avoid and escape from violent circumstances, are attempting to adopt calming or avoidance behaviors such as driving, going out, leaving the situation, or even sleeping. Another subtheme \" Involving others \"indicates that in some cases, students show the motivation to avoid aggression by talking or even being aggressive to another person.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I drive, so when I come back, I calm down a bit.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I try to be alone and would prefer that no one say anything to me at that time.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 2: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I talk to someone about the things that made me angry.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 5: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I believe I irritated the other drivers until I arrived at my destination.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.4. Anger's occurrence\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003e The motivation for a person's verbal and nonverbal aggression stems from the experience of an inner feeling of anger, and after experiencing it, aggressive behaviors begin. \"Physical aggression\" was one of the subthemes, indicating physical action and throwing objects after feeling angry. The subtheme of \"Physical-Verbal Aggression\" suggested that the feeling of anger was a fundamental reason for committing verbal aggression in the form of raising the voice or swearing, as well as the perception of physical tension caused by the emotion of anger.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I feel really heavy, and my body and face are cramped.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 2, 3, 4, 6, 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I raise my voice or usually yell.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e Regarding personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior based on the semantic units of the interviews, 25 code examples were discovered, and then 10 subthemes were established by reviewing these codes. Finally, 5 major themes were recognized in order to define the themes and categorize the data. (Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab3\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e)\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab3\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 3\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eCategories of personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"4\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOrder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eThemes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubthemes\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCode Examples\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSocial\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCreditorism\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing reliable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing logical\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAntisocial streaks\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDesire for lawlessness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDesire to lie\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"7\" rowspan=\"8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCommunicative\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eOpen and borderless interactive style\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot respecting self-boundaries with others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExcessive love and kindness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eopen friend\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ewell-mannered\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConflict-inducing in close relationship interactive style\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConflict with others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConflict with father\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eConflict with mother\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeeling comfortable with others\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"5\" rowspan=\"6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehavioral\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eImpulsive behavior\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGetting nervous easily\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLow threshold of patience and tolerance\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBeing irritable\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eBehavioral deficiency\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of attention control\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProcrastination\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eExpressing aggression disproportionate to the situation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCognitive\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObsessive Compulsive Disorder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eObsessive Compulsive Disorder\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"1\" rowspan=\"2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNot seeking opinion\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eLack of consultation\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSelf-centeredness\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\" morerows=\"3\" rowspan=\"4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmotional\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\" morerows=\"2\" rowspan=\"3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeeling guilty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNegative self-judgment for expressing aggression\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNegative self-judgment of not expressing aggression\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eFeeling guilty\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEmotional suppression\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubsiding anger\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.5. Social\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThis theme represents the students' desire to be authentic or their antisocial tendencies, which can lead to violence; in other words, aggressiveness can be used to maintain a person's social prestige or is affected by a person's antisocial traits. The content of the subtheme \"Creditorism\" indicated that establishing an authentic and acceptable personality in students can result in aggressiveness. Another subtheme, \"Antisocial streaks,\" suggested that personality tendencies to disobey the law and lie could contribute to hostility in students.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 7: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I think I'm more logical than emotional, I don't make decisions based on feelings.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 7: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;To be honest, I often wonder what I would have done if the consequences hadn't worked... Yes, I would have taken money. I beat many people to death.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 5, 7: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;If I'm stuck at work and don't have any other options, then yes, I'm lying.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.6. Communicative\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eMost of the time, aggressive students revealed a unique personality in their interactions and communication. In this way, they were sensitive and conflicted in their relationships with their families, yet borderless and overly kind in their connections to others who may not have had intimate relationships. As a subtheme, \"Open and borderless interactive style\" represented the fact that aggressive students generally connect with others in a borderless and close manner. Another subtheme of \"Conflict-inducing in close relationship interactive style\" was the expression of sensitive characteristics in close relationships with family and close friends rather than relationships with others, which leads to conflict and aggressiveness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I am also a flexible person, I usually get along with all kinds of people, I am ok with everyone, I usually have good time and most of them like me.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I always go the extra mile for someone in my life, whether it's a boy or a girl.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 5: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Others say that he is sociable, foul-mouthed, teased, nimble, and has fun with him, I've heard this from my friends, he is calm and a nice friend.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I was napping in the afternoon when my brother slammed the door shut. I woke from sleep and expressed my anger completely, shouting and screaming.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;My family witnesses most of my rage. I scold them more since I am mostly at home and in contact with them... with my mom because I am in touch with her more.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.7. Behavioral\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eStudents with impulsive personalities and a lack of attention may become aggressive. One of the subthemes, \"Impulsive behavior\", showed that aggressive students identified themselves as nervous irritated, and impatient, which could lead to aggressiveness. According to the subtheme of \"Behavioral deficiency,\" one of the personality traits of aggressive students is the lack of attention and negligence that interferes with daily activities.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4, 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;My flaw is that I get angry quickly.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;For example, if someone comes up to me and says something negative about one of my friends, I may react fast and cut off the connection.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I get distracted easily. I can't directly follow something in each activity. I used to be able to, but not anymore.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Another annoying thing about me is that I procrastinate... As an example, I am afraid of starting something, perhaps this will prevent me from completing it.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec15\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.8. Cognitive\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe cognitions that organize aggressive students' personalities are obsessive and self-opinionated. One of the subthemes, \"Obsessive-compulsive disorder,\" causes people to ruminate on unpleasant issues, and because they hold those difficulties in their minds, their anger and violence manifest in their personality. The subtheme \"Not seeking opinion\" suggested that aggressive students typically act arbitrarily and autocratically, without consulting with close friends and family. This lack of consultation dissatisfies family and friends, laying the groundwork for conflict and aggressiveness.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 3: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;One negative trait I have is resentment; for example, if someone does anything to me, it sticks with me for a long time, which is not good. It ate me up.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;They say that you don't want to accept something, you don't listen to a friend until you come and understand that it was a mistake.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 1: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Most of my friends, family, and others believe I am selfish.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e3.9. Emotional\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAggressive students have an emotionally repressive and self-critical personality. In other words, not only they do not give their feelings enough credit, but their emotional processing can result in inconsistent violence. The \"Feeling Guilty\" subtheme suggested that aggressive students blame themselves for both expressing aggression and not expressing aggressiveness. In both circumstances, students' anger increases in their personality organization as a result of their dissatisfaction with their choices. Finally, \"Emotional suppression\" revealed that aggressive students frequently suppress their anger rather than expressing or managing it, which might lead to out-of-control hostility in them.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 2: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;Well, when I get angry, I tell myself that there was really no reason to show your anger so much, I see myself as an irrational person.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;For example, I ask myself, \"Why did you do this? You should Make her pay for what she's done.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eParticipant No. 4, 7, 8: \u003cem\u003e\u0026ldquo;I think I suppress my anger more; that is, I don't like to express it, and sometimes I feel like it builds up and I show it all at once. But, in general, I suppress it.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"4. Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study categorized the underlying motivations for aggression and personality mechanisms associated with aggressive behavior into four and five themes, respectively. The first major theme of this study was \"Personal Relationship Improvement\". Research suggests that fear of rejection is linked to aggressive behavior in relationships, and the pain of rejection and the pleasure of revenge lead rejected individuals to act aggressively [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. People act aggressively in situations where there is a possibility of rejection and a lack of respect for privacy, motivated by self-defense and distance regulation. In other words, real experience of rejection (signs of rejection) and a failure to respect private and personal boundaries in relationships serve as a catalyst for hostile thoughts and violent behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e30\u003c/span\u003e]. The role of communication and a sense of belonging in the incidence of violence has been underlined in several theories. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, for instance, one of the fundamental needs is a desire to belong, the failure of which provides a reason for aggression [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e31\u003c/span\u003e]. Similarly, the participants in this study used aggressive verbal and non-verbal behaviors to avoid rejection in close relationships or intruding on someone's privacy.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the results of the present study, \"Self-stabilization\" was another major theme identified for aggression motivation, indicating that students' motivation for violence in some situations was to stabilize and modify their position. In the same line, the study by Mischkowski et al., has also revealed that a threat to one's status, as well as the possibility of being questioned and humiliated, leads to the emergence of aggressive motivation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Aggressiveness, particularly maladaptive and harmful aggression, is most likely the result of inadequacy, instability, and a negative mindset [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e33\u003c/span\u003e]. A similar conclusion could be drawn from the current study that in some cases, students' underlying motive for engaging in violence was to strengthen their position as valuable people who made no mistakes. The motivation of self-stabilization through aggressiveness is largely the opposite of the character's humility element [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e22\u003c/span\u003e, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e23\u003c/span\u003e]. Anger and aggressiveness are reduced by humility. As a result, there is a chance that the personality component of humility limits the development of superior motivations in interactions with others, which can be followed by aggressive behaviors to reinforce one's point of view or to persuade others.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eMischkowski et al [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e] stated that avoiding violence because it is unrelated to the resolution of the problem and the challenge of aggression, creates psychological pressure and motivation to express hostility. Similarly, the current study's findings suggest that the major theme \"Avoiding Anger's Occurrence\" did not always express individual motivations prior to expressing an act of aggression, and it is likely that aggressiveness and the context of aggression itself is a motivation for performing such behaviors in the face of violence.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the results, \"Anger's occurrence\" was another major theme that represented the inner experience of being angry and directing one's actions toward violence. In other words, the motivation for a person's verbal and nonverbal aggression stems from the experience of an inner feeling of anger, and aggressive behaviors follow. Similarly, Deffenbacher et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR34\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e34\u003c/span\u003e], indicated that the trait and state of anger has a significant relationship with aggressive behaviors. These findings are also consistent with the results reported by Fung et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR35\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e35\u003c/span\u003e], who cited expressing anger against individuals or objects as an approach to expressing aggression.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe major theme of \"Social\" reflected mechanisms and personality traits of the students' desire to be authentic, as well as their antisocial tendencies, which could lead to the emergence of aggressiveness. Similar to the studies carried out by Salmivalli [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR36\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e36\u003c/span\u003e] and Mischkowski et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e], the present study demonstrated consistent results based on the fact that threats to one's position and being questioned lead to the formation of hostility. Gillespie, Brzozowski, \u0026amp; Mitchell [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR37\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e37\u003c/span\u003e], concluded that antisocial tendencies are related to aggressive behavior and that their personality origin is caused by the inability to self-regulate in the amygdala and prefrontal cortex. In society, the Honesty-Humility personality factor could reduce the level of violence in order to improve personal status and get benefits and privileges at any cost. Because humility does not consider the desire to be superior and approved. Honesty, on the other hand, demonstrates the absence of deception and acceptance of the proper and true situation [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\"Communicative \"was another major theme, which revealed that aggressive students were sensitive and unhappy in their intimate relationships, but unbounded and overly kind in their relationships with others who did not have close ties. These results are consistent with the findings reported by Chester et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e28\u003c/span\u003e], and Gao et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e29\u003c/span\u003e]. Students could display aggressive behavior in intimate relationships due to their high sensitivity to rejection and disapproval, which can lead to the development of conflict in the relationship [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR38\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e38\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAs indicated by the major theme of \"Behavioral\", aggressive students behaviorally have an impulsive personality with low attention and aggressive behavior disproportionate to the situation. The inability to inhibit the response can lead to aggression as a result of frustration [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e7\u003c/span\u003e]. As a result of this, it might be possible to argue that a lack of attention control to undertake planned behaviors, as well as procrastination in achieving set goals and plans, leads to an increase in aggressiveness. This finding is in line with Conejero et al. [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e9\u003c/span\u003e] and King \u0026amp; Waschbusch [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR39\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e39\u003c/span\u003e], who revealed a correlation between aggression and attention deficit.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eAccording to the major \"Cognitive\" theme, aggressive students perceive their personality organizations as obsessive and self-opinionated. Lack of opinion, which is accompanied by arbitrary behavior and disrespect for others, has the potential to develop into violence and aggression towards others as a personality trait. Furthermore, since not asking for opinions is a display of arrogance and self-opinion, the factor of Honesty-Humility probably represents an underlying personality mechanism, that demonstrates respect for individuals and their points of view [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e15\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFinally, another major theme expressed was the \"Emotional\" mechanism of personality in students' aggression. According to the interview analysis, angry students had an emotionally suppressive and self-critical personality. Students with emotionally suppressive personalities accumulate negative emotions, and a lack of emotional control leads to violent behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e32\u003c/span\u003e]. Excessive emotion regulation with self-blame, which is accompanied by growing negative emotions, reduced resistance to aggression, jeopardizing decision-making processes, decreased social networks, increased physiological arousal, and hindered the resolution of difficult situations, can also contribute to aggressive behavior [\u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e12\u003c/span\u003e].\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003e4.1 Limitation\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA major limitation of this study was that the study sample was students. Given the differences in this community's level of knowledge and awareness compared to the general population, the findings may be confined to a better understanding of aggression in this population. Also, the generalizability of this study is low due to the qualitative nature. As a result, conducting mixed methods and quantitative research, such as longitudinal and cross-sectional study, is required to test our findings in a larger sample size in order to evaluate the causal relationships between the findings.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"5. Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe current qualitative study showed that the underlying motivations of aggression were personal relationship improvement, self-stabilization, avoiding anger's occurrence, and anger occurrence. Furthermore, the results revealed that five social, communicative, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional personality factors play a role in students' rage. Conducting similar studies on the samples from the country's non-student population is recommended. The quantitative assessment of individual with a larger sample size is also a recommendation for future research. Overall, the findings of this study have contributed to a better understanding of student aggressiveness. Based on the identified themes, it can be possible to recognize aggression and plan appropriate interventions to reduce students' aggression. These results can be used to creating and examining an educational package for its effectiveness in reducing student aggression.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e6.1 Acknowledgements\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis paper is the result of the thesis in the Master of Art in Clinical Psychology titled (Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFunding\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was unfunded and did not receive any external funding. It was conducted as part of the Master of Art in Clinical Psychology thesis titled (Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study)\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot applicable.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interests\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e6.5 Data Availability\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are not publicly available considering that we have not required consents to publish this data, but are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e6.6 Ethics approval\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of Faculty of Psychology and Education, University of Tehran, code: IR. UT. PSYEDU. REC. 1400. 014. This study is considered voluntary participation. Each participant had to sign an informed consent form before entering the study and were informed of its objectives and protocol.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e6.7 Author contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMA, ZT conceived the study idea and design. MA conducted the interviews. MA, ZT and HF conducted transcription and data analysis. MA, ZT interpreted and presented the results, and contributed to the manuscript. ZT supervised the research activities and contributed to the interpretation of results. NF wrote the manuscript. All authors have read, edited and approved the final manuscript for submission.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMcCloskey, M.S. and B.A. Ammerman, \u003cem\u003eSuicidal behavior and aggression-related disorders.\u003c/em\u003e Current Opinion in Psychology, 2018. \u003cstrong\u003e22\u003c/strong\u003e: p. 54-58.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePoorolajal, J., et al., \u003cem\u003eThe Epidemiology of Aggression and Associated Factors among Iranian Adult Population: A National Survey.\u003c/em\u003e J Res Health Sci, 2020. \u003cstrong\u003e20\u003c/strong\u003e(4): p. e00499.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMaremmani, I., et al., \u003cem\u003eAggressive Behavior and Substance Use Disorder: The Heroin Use Disorder as a Case Study.\u003c/em\u003e Addictive Disorders \u0026amp; Their Treatment, 2020. \u003cstrong\u003e19\u003c/strong\u003e: p. 1.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStreet, N.W., et al., \u003cem\u003eSleep duration and risk of physical aggression against peers in urban youth.\u003c/em\u003e Sleep Health, 2016. \u003cstrong\u003e2\u003c/strong\u003e(2): p. 129-135.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMeg\u0026iacute;as, A., et al., \u003cem\u003eThe relationship between aggression and ability emotional intelligence: The role of negative affect.\u003c/em\u003e Psychiatry Res, 2018. \u003cstrong\u003e270\u003c/strong\u003e: p. 1074-1081.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSuter, M., et al., \u003cem\u003eImplicit attitudes and self-concepts towards transgression and aggression: Differences between male community and offender adolescents, and associations with psychopathic traits.\u003c/em\u003e Journal of Adolescence, 2014. \u003cstrong\u003e37\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBreuer, J., M. 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Remarks on self-esteem, hostility, and aggressive behavior.\u003c/em\u003e Aggression and Violent Behavior, 2001. \u003cstrong\u003e6\u003c/strong\u003e(4): p. 375-393.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGillespie, S.M., A. Brzozowski, and I.J. Mitchell, \u003cem\u003eSelf-regulation and aggressive antisocial behaviour: Insights from amygdala-prefrontal and heart-brain interactions.\u003c/em\u003e Psychology, Crime \u0026amp; Law, 2018. \u003cstrong\u003e24\u003c/strong\u003e(3): p. 243-257.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBond\u0026uuml;, R. and B. Krah\u0026eacute;, \u003cem\u003eLinks of justice and rejection sensitivity with aggression in childhood and adolescence.\u003c/em\u003e Aggressive Behavior, 2014. \u003cstrong\u003e41\u003c/strong\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKing, S. and D.A. Waschbusch, \u003cem\u003eAggression in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.\u003c/em\u003e Expert Rev Neurother, 2010. \u003cstrong\u003e10\u003c/strong\u003e(10): p. 1581-94.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Aggression, Violence, Personality Mechanisms, Thematic content analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3829904/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3829904/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe term aggression, one of the persistent concerns of society, refers to any behavior seeking to harm another person, animal, or object. Violence and aggression remain pressing concerns in society, with forecasts indicating a significant rise by 2030. The purpose of the present study was to investigate aggression based on underlying motivations and personality mechanisms in aggressive Iranian students.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eEight adults (37.5% male) participated in the study. The Bass and Perry Aggression Questionnaire was completed by the participants as part of the screening process. A thematic content analysis was conducted in this study. In-depth interviews were carried out as well as open-coding inductive analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe underlying motivations of aggression were categorized into four major themes, including personal relationship improvement, self-stabilization, avoiding anger occurrence, and anger occurrence. Furthermore, the results revealed that five social, communicative, behavioral, cognitive, and emotional themes were recognized as personality factors playing a role in students' aggression.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, the results obtained from the current research have led to a deeper understanding of students' aggression; Therefore, based on the identified themes, it is possible to recognize parts of underlying mechanisms of aggression and prepare appropriate interventions to reduce students' aggression. Future research should encompass a broader demographic and incorporate quantitative methods for causal exploration.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Inquiring of Aggression Based on Underlying Motivation and Personality Mechanisms in Aggressive Iranian Students: A Qualitative Study","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-01-04 16:27:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-3829904/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"82b92ac7-6705-4e4c-9bc0-806942097983","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 4th, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2024-11-18T08:38:19+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-01-04 16:27:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-3829904","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-3829904","identity":"rs-3829904","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}