M.A. (Psychology) / Anger, hostility and aggression have long been regarded as important factors in the etiology of essential hypertension and coronary heart disease. Fast changing lifestyles and cultural differences are among a few of the factors that create stress, 'disease', stress in addition to the development of the self-generation of stress by means of the type A behavioral pattern. Anger and aggression are components that apparently account for the largest amount of variance in the type A behavior pattern. These emotions are again associated with elevated systolic blood pressure levels. The aim of this study was therefore to determine whether hypertension was indeed associated with anger and aggression amongst urban as well as rural Blacks in South Africa. Seftel (1980) found a very high prevalence of hypertension in Johannesburg Blacks and Seedat (1978) found a similarly high prevalence in Durban Zulu, possibly lending support to the hypothesis that urbanization was associated with the development of the type A behavioural pattern, and thus causal to the development of hypertension. Two groups, one consisting of hypertensives, and the other of people with other cardiovascular diseases were subjected to the Anger-Expression Scale and the Grant Urban-Rural Scale. The result of the study provided support for the thesis while the hypothesis that stated that hypertension would indicate a higher urbanization supported. In essence the results of the study indicated that there was a definite correlation between elevated blood pressure levels among urban Black South Africans and the chronic suppression of anger and aggression, as well as the inability to express these emotions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:uj/uj:12496 |
| Date | 07 October 2014 |
| Creators | Lange, Suzette |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | University of Johannesburg |
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