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Hostility

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine

  • 68 Accesses

Synonyms

Affective hostility; Aggression; Anger; Cynical distrust; Cynical hostility; Mistrust

Definition

Hostility is a multidimensional personality trait with distinct cognitive, affective, and behavioral features. The cognitive component of hostility is evident in the habitual patterns of cynical mistrust and negative, suspicious attitudes and beliefs that hostile individuals have toward their interpersonal network and the community at large. The affective (emotional) component reflects the internal and external expression of anger and contempt, which may vary in degrees from moderate to high. The behavioral component may manifest through mannerisms and actions that perpetuate interpersonal conflicts, such as aggression and irritability. Although distinctions can be made among the cognitive, affective, and behavioral components of hostility, they often are interrelated and co-occur.

Description

The role of hostility and anger in cardiovascular disease (CVD) and more general health...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Program in Health Disparities Research, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN, USA

    Susan A. Everson-Rose, Priya Balaji & Xiaohui Yu

Authors
  1. Susan A. Everson-Rose
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  2. Priya Balaji
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  3. Xiaohui Yu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan A. Everson-Rose .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, USA

    Marc Gellman

  2. Campbell University School of Pharmacy, Buies Creek, North Carolina, USA

    J. Rick Turner

Section Editor information

  1. University of Minnesota Medical School, University of Minnesota, 235 School of Medicine, Duluth, MN, USA

    Mustafa al’Absi

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Everson-Rose, S.A., Balaji, P., Yu, X. (2018). Hostility. In: Gellman, M., Turner, J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_254-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_254-2

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6439-6

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