Explaining regional variation in rates of aggression: Are differences accounted for by the Southern culture of violence

Examines reasons for higher rates of aggression in the Southern U.S. Research on the "Southern Culture of Violence" (SCV), a cultural explanation for these differences, is reviewed. Relationships between the SCV, Southern religious conservatism, and attitudes toward corporal punishment are discussed. Two possible mechanisms are proposed by which Southerners may react differently to situations involving an affront---attributions of hostile intent and a tendency to make external attributions. In addition, research examining the relationship between narcissism and aggression is discussed, and similarities between narcissism and the SCV are outlined. The effect of exposure to ego-threat on subsequent aggression is tested empirically. Participants were 96 white male university students at the University of South Carolina. Participants were assigned to Northern or Southern categories based on region of upbringing: each condition had 48 participants. Following the procedure of B. Bushman and R. Baumeister (1998), one-half of participants were exposed to an ego-threat, while the other half were not. Participants then read two stories and completed three dependent variables for each story: a measure of hostile intent, a measure of internal vs. external attribution, and a measure of aggression. Participants also completed a second measure of aggression in which they were given the opportunity to deliver an aversive sound "blast." Results did not support the study's hypotheses for region. No differential effect of ego-threat on Southerners' aggression was found on three out of four aggression measures, nor were Southerners more likely than Northerners to hold attitudes consistent with the SCV. Southerners were also no more likely to attribute hostile intent or to make external attributions for affronts. Southerners were, however, more likely to have attitudes indicative of religious conservatism and were more likely to have attitudes supportive of corporal punishment. In addition, there was a significant main effect of SCV-consistent attitudes on aggression and a significant main effect of narcissism on aggression. Narcissism also interacted with ego-threat to predict overall aggression. Results supported the attenuation of Northerners' attitudes toward aggression after exposure to Southern culture, which contradicts previous research on the topic.