In spite of some adverse opinions (Bushman & Anderson, 2001), at the state of the art pathological aggression is typically depicted as affective/impulsive or predatory (Fonagy, 2004; Meloy, 2006). More recently, some authors argued that different specific facets of impulsivity may predict different types of aggression (Derefinko et al., 2011).

In this study, we focus on three different kinds of impulsivity, namely motor, attention, and non-planning impulsiveness. On the other hand, we consider aggression through four components: verbal aggression, physical aggression, anger, and hostility.

We try to highlight if various kinds of aggressiveness may be better understood through different precursor in impulsivity domains.

The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11; Patton et al., 1995) encompasses the three types of impulsivity sketched above; the Aggression Questionnaire (AQ; Buss & Perry, 1992) assesses aggression as the sum of the four features before depicted. This preliminary sample consists of 50 incarcerated violent offenders (all males; mean age=41.04).

The two measures appear to be positively related (r=0.525; p<0.01) and differential relations are significant. Motor and non-planning impulsiveness are strongly linked with physical aggression (respectively: r=0.478 and r=0.433; p<0.05); instead, the attention component of impulsivity appears associated with hostility (r=0.548; p<0.01). Finally, the higher correlation has been found between dispositional anger and motor impulsiveness (r=0.597; p<0.01).

In line with our preliminary results, a proper examination of the different aspects of impulsiveness would be helpful in both the care and the custody of violent offenders.