The role of anger rumination as a mediator in the relationship between driver moral disengagement and driving angry

In this essay, two studies are conducted to explore the impact of moral disengagement and anger rumination on driving anger. Study 1 utilizes a driving simulation to investigate whether moral disengagement and anger rumination act as psychological triggers for driving anger in real-time, and the psychological factors that contribute to aggressive driving in various road situations. Building upon Study 1, Study 2 employs a questionnaire to examine the relationship between driving anger, moral disengagement, and anger rumination. The findings indicate that moral disengagement and anger rumination are psychological factors contributing to driving anger in real-time. Specifically, anger rumination significantly contributes to the development of driving anger in three traffic scenarios: vehicle reversal, stopping in front of a vehicle, and pedestrians crossing the road. Furthermore, moral disengagement and anger rumination together predict driving anger in the scenario of lane jumping. It is also revealed that anger rumination fully mediates the relationship between moral disengagement and driving anger.