Understanding Anger Expression in Female Community College Students

101 Pages·2016·0.77 MB·English

by  Monroe Community College

Physical Violence Expression in Female Community College Students: A Quantitative
Survey Study
by
Kelley L. Bennett

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Education

Supervised by Kathryn Douthit
Department of Counseling and Human Development
Warner School

University of Rochester
Rochester, New York
2016
ii
Dedication
This paper is dedicated to my father, F. Lance Bennett, who passed away from
Alzheimer’s Disease during the writing of this paper. It is through his influence, guidance,
passion and love for learning that drove me to pursue my educational path. His spirit continues to
guide me in my pursuit of inquiry.
iii
Biographical Sketch
The author was born in Western New York on February 22, 1971. She received a
Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Science and minor in Sociology in 1994 from Nazareth
College of Rochester and a Master of Science degree in Educational Leadership: Higher
Education from the University of Rochester in 2004.
For the past twenty years, she has worked in various Student Services positions in higher
education which include in Admissions, Advisement and Counseling at the following colleges;
Marymount College of Tarrytown, the University of Central Florida and Monroe Community
College.
She began her doctoral studies in Human Development at the University of Rochester in
2007. While at the Warner School, she has been employed at Monroe Community College for
the past fifteen years and currently serves as a Counselor in their Counseling and Veteran
Services Center.
iv
Acknowledgements

First and foremost, I would like to thank Dr. Kathryn Douthit, my Dissertation
Committee Chair who spent endless hours with me working on this manuscript. It is through her
patience, kindness, dedication, guidance and understanding that led me to complete this paper.
Her knowledge of counseling and human development theories as well as her overall intelligence
brought me to a new understanding and appreciation of education and persistence.
Secondly, I would like to thank my Dissertation Committee, Dr. David Donnelly and
Dr. Dan Linnenberg, both who provided me with much feedback and insight to writing this
paper. I truly respect these individuals and appreciate all of the guidance that they gave me on
this journey.
The support from my employer and coworkers has been endless. There are too many to
people to name individually but know that your encouragement has been much appreciated and
meaningful to me. Your persistence to cheer me along the way to further my education has
helped me grow both personally and professionally.
I would be remiss to not thank my very good friend, Dr. Trish Berger, whom I met in my
doctoral classes. Through her friendship, dedication and inspiration I was able to make it through
those particularly tough times.
Thank you also to those who have passed but I know who were cheering me on from
above, which include my father, Lance Bennett, my Uncle “Skip” Bennett, my “Nana” Kathleen
Walchili, my paternal grandmother Eleanor Erhardt, my “Papa” Joseph Erhardt, my maternal
grandmother Eleanor Darmody, my maternal grandfather Alton Lanphear and lastly my niece,
Molly Gibbs.
v
Lastly but certainly not least, my deepest thank you to Dave Herbst, who believed in me
when I didn’t, who has the patience of a saint, the heart of an angel and has encouraged me
through all of my dissertation and life’s bumps to “keep punching!” For all of those named above
I am fortunate to have such wonderful people in my life.
vi

Abstract
This dissertation aimed to understand the motivations and perceptions of women in a
two-year community college in relation to their own perpetration of physical aggression. The
study focused on full-time women attending a Northeastern Community College in the spring
2016 semester. The study used a quantitative online survey to examine the experiences physical
violence of full-time, female students at the selected community college. The survey questions
were informed by current research and empirical findings regarding women’s anger expression.
While there was a preponderance of literature that discussed anger expression of females
at four-year institutions, similar information for female students at community colleges was
almost non-existent. Understanding female student violence and the developmental factors that
influence it are an important vehicle for assessing institutional support systems adequacies and/or
deficiencies. The lack of data hinders college administrators from making informed decisions;
hence, studies such as this one are imperative for providing necessary information to
professionals and college administrators within higher education.
vii
Table of Contents
Dedication ii
Biographical Sketch iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract vi
Table of Contents vii
List of Tables xi
Chapter One: Introduction 1
Background and Content 1
Violence and Anger 1
Characteristics of College Women and Contemporary Cultural and Social
Practices 3
Risky Behavior: Female Anger Expression in Relation to Drug and Alcohol Use 5
Forms of Anger Expression: Internalization and Externalization 6
Passive vs. Aggressive Anger 7
The Biology of Anger 8
Problem Statement 9
Purpose of the Study 9
Research Aim and Questions 10
Significance of the Study 10
Chapter Two: Literature Review 11
Theoretical Considerations of Anger Expression 11
Feminist Theory 11
viii
Social Constructivist Theory 12
Attachment Theory 14
Moral Development Theory 16
What is the Nature of Anger 19
Review of the Empirical Literature Related to College Women and Anger General
Studies 21
Anger Expression in the College Setting 23
Barriers in Seeking Mental Health Services for Anger Related Issues 25
Gender Differences in the Expression of Anger 27
Conclusion 30
Chapter Three: Methodology 31
The Research Site 31
Survey Method 32
The Research Sample 32
Survey Administration 32
Survey Content 34
Response Rate 35
Data Analysis 36
Ethics 36
Conclusion 38
Chapter Four: Results 39
Demographic Questions 39
Race 39
ix
Age 40
Who Raised the Participants 40
Siblings 41
Type of School Attended 41
Spiritual/Religious Affiliation 42
Fights Before College Years 44
General Information Regarding Violence in Women 45
Students’ Childhood Environment 45
Fighting During Your College Years 45
Friends and Physical Fights 45
The Research Questions 45
Optional Comments 54
Themes for Aggression 55
Theme 1: Gender 55
Theme 2: Self-Defense 56
Theme 3: Non-violence 56
Theme 4: Female Aggression in the College Setting 56
Theme 5: Technology and Social Media Influence 57
Theme 6: Other Responses 57
Conclusion 58
Chapter Five: 59
Discussion and Survey Findings 59
Human Development Theories in Relation to Research 61
x
Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory 61
Feminist Theory 62
Social Constructivist Theory 63
Attachment Theory 63
Administrative Recommendations 64
Limitations 65
Directions for Future Research 66
Conclusion 67
References 69
Appendix A Recruitment Email 79
Appendix B Information Letter 80
Appendix C Survey 81