The Relationship between Global Crises and Aggression

Purpose: Existing literature suggests there is a relationship between aggression and global crises as well as health pandemics. Despite previous research highlighting this relationship, research in the UK that examines this relationship, and particularly between the pandemic containment measures with aggression, has not been thoroughly examined. This pilot study investigates the aggression levels in the UK before and during the implementation measures for containing the latest global health crisis. Design: For the needs of the pilot study, 149 participants (127 female and 21 males) completed an online questionnaire which measures aggression levels before and during lockdown. Findings: The investigation showed that aggression increased during the lockdown periods, with themes of anger and loneliness also being identified through a content analysis. This project is one of the first to examine aggression during lockdown and isolation restrictions. Further implications and limitations are discussed. Keywords: crises, lockdown, pandemic, conformity, violence, aggression