The Way of the Warrior

The Effects of Traditional Martial Arts Training on Aggressiveness

Bibliographic Data

ID9890230
AuthorsT A Nosanchuk (Carleton University, corresponding author)
Year1981
Volume34
Issue6
Pages435-444
Publication date1981-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueHuman Relations (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0018-7267 • E-ISSN: 1741-282X
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/001872678103400601
OpenAlexW2148064522
LanguageEN
Citations received14
References cited4

This study examines aggressive fantasy of students in traditional karate dojos. These data are of both theoretical and humanistic interest. The theoretical interest derives from the conventional wisdom that perceives such training as leading to a decrease in aggressiveness, in contrast to current theory which would expect such training to increase aggressiveness. Such an inquiry is of humanistic interest because it offers practitioners of nonviolence the option of acquiring defensive competences without at the same time becoming more aggressive. Interviews with 42 students at various belt levels found that longer training is associated with lower aggressiveness, in contrast to the theoretical predictions. Four plausible mechanisms of such a change were examined: self-control, self-assertiveness, self-esteem, and self-confidence. None of these was found to qualify as an intervening variable, though one subscale of self-assertiveness, "constructiveness," was found, like training, to be associated with lower aggressiveness. Further studies are suggested

Assertiveness · Fantasy · Humanism · Martial arts · Applied Psychology · Doping in Sports · Martial Arts: Techniques, Psychology, and Education · Psychology · Social Psychology · Sport Psychology and Performance