Antecedents of trait aggressiveness among sports students

In light of the speed increase of aggressive episodes and disorderly incidents in sporting contexts both on and offthe field of play, psychologists’ interest has been focused on normative standards regarding socio-moralinteraction such as sportspersonship and fair play, as well as on those intra and interpersonal factors influencingaggressiveness. The current research aimed at pinpointing the extent to which self-determined motivation andtrait self-control influence aggressiveness considered as a personality trait. 448 students (M = 240, F = 208; Mage= 23,04, SD = 6,65) enrolled in Italian Faculties of Sport and practicing competitive sports filled out aquestionnaire composed by: the socio-anagraphic section, the Sport Motivation Scale (SMS), the AggressivenessQuestionnaire (AQ), and the Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS). Descriptive and regression analyses were appliedto the data. Results showed that aggressiveness was negatively predicted by self-determined motivation and traitself-control. Consequently, practical recommendations should be addressed to coaches, trainers, etc. to planappropriate intervention strategies for enhancing students’ higher levels of self-control and motivational dispositions