TITLE:
Analyzing Networks of Verbal Aggressiveness and Motivation
AUTHORS:
Alexandra Bekiari, Stergiani Deliligka, Nikolaos Hasanagas
KEYWORDS:
Verbal Aggressiveness, Motivation, Network Analysis
JOURNAL NAME:
Psychology,
Vol.8 No.3,
February
28,
2017
ABSTRACT: Aim of this research is to analyze motivation and verbal aggressiveness as structure of relations and to detect their determinants. A university class of 62 students and 4 instructors has been analyzed as a network. In- and out-degree, degree, pagerank, katz and authority have been calculated. They were correlated (Spearman test) with several non-network variables such as economic status, age, gender, etc. Visone and SPSS have been used. Main results are the following: Mastery influence is a more common situation than influence aiming at performance and verbal aggressiveness which necessitate fanaticism or familiarity. Students with high grade are quite central in influencing and being influenced for learning pedagogic-psychological issues. In the case of learning biology (mastery), the teaching staff is the main stimulator in contrast to case of pedagogic-psychological field. The age and the experience of travelling abroad are also conducive to learning biology. Male students seem to be more influential than the female ones, as the sport is still perceived as a male-dominated field. Students interested in medicinal subjects are rather unable to stimulate others in sport issues, as there is a contextual deficit between medicinal and sport subjects. Female students seem to stimulate for improvement. Students interested in the medicinal subjects tend to be stimulated and to stimulate others to surpass performance limits. The desire for professional eminence also seems to discourage offenders indicating the existence of organization culture at the department. Travelling abroad for sport reasons increases offensiveness. Students originating from rural areas tend more to become target of offenses, indicating thus spatial-regional discrimination. Students of higher economic state are more deriding. The proposed typologies of motivation influence and verbal aggressiveness include the “invulnerable motivator” and the “vulnerable motivator” as well as the “strong motivator” and the “brawler” type.