Anger Suppression, Ironic Processes and Pain Sensitivity

Rosalind Franklin Univ Of Medicine &Sci, North Chicago IL

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Suppression of anger has long been hypothesized to be involved in the experience of physical pain. Although empirical data support this hypothesis, it is based almost exclusively on correlational data. Thus, whether actual efforts to suppress anger causes heightened perception of pain, and potential mechanisms of such effects, are unknown. Ironic process theory suggests that efforts to suppress emotion and/or emotion laden thoughts paradoxically make such emotion and emotional thoughts highly accessible to mind. Moreover, research suggests that highly accessible thoughts and emotions can significant color perceptual processes. I propose to test this notion. Specifically, participants will suppress or not suppress thoughts and feelings tied to an anger-provoking event (i.e., mental arithmetic with experimenter harassment), followed by an emotional Stroop task, and, lastly, a cold pressor. If efforts to suppress anger-related thought and feelings results in ironic increase in anger accessibility, then (a) suppression should lead to greater pain perception than no suppression; (b) suppression should lead to larger interference timed on anger words on the emotional Stroop task; and (c) interference times will statistically mediate the suppression-pain link.