Exploring the relationship between music preference and aggression

• Main Author: Zehr, Melisa-J.
• Other Authors: Gerstein, Lawrence H.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Music > Psychological aspects.; Aggressiveness.; College students > Songs and music.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/182216; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1312664

Hansen and Hansen (1991) proposed the relationship between music preference and personality characteristics to be an interactive process of socialization. People are attracted to music that is congruent with their needs, desires, and values. Over time and with repeated exposure, listeners' attitudes and values gradually come to conform to those represented in the music. Given this premise, people who prefer more aggressive types of music would be expected to be more aggressive. If this were found to be true, perhaps exposure to different musical genres would serve to lessen aggressive tendencies. The current study sought to investigate whether people who prefer harder forms of music (e.g., hard rock, heavy metal, rap) tend to be more aggressive than those preferring softer types of music (e.g., country, classical, gospel, jazz). It also examined whether there was a relationship between music preference and social desirability. A sample of 322 undergraduates from a Midwestern university completed the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ), the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (MC-SDS), and a leisure interests survey developed by the author to assess music preferences. Initially, correlations between the MC-SDS and the four aggression scales of the AQ were calculated. Because all correlations were negative and statistically significant, social desirability was entered as a covariate in the analysis of music preference and aggression. Results from a multivariate analysis of covariance failed to find a significant relationship between music preferences and aggression. Thus, people preferring harder music types do not differ in level of aggression from those preferring softer music types. Sex differences in aggression were supported. Follow-up univariate analyses showed males to be more physically and verbally aggressive as well as more hostile than females. An analysis of Music Preference and Aggression x variance was performed to investigate the relationship between music preference and social desirability, with results suggesting that no such relationship existed. No sex differences in social desirability were found. The current findings contrast with previous research, which has supported a relationship between music preferences and aggression, with heavy metal and rap fans displaying higher aggressive tendencies than those preferring other music types (Rubin, West, & Mitchell, 2001). Limitations of the study, as well as research and counseling implications, are discussed. === Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services