I have been driving a car for 3 years. So far, thank God without incident. In general, I am such a nervous and anxious driver ...
When I come to Russia and observe the flow of cars, the first thing I have is the thought “Here is behind the wheel, never.” And not that I'm afraid of the rules of the road, but the level of aggression of drivers towards each other sharply annoys me.
I do not think that the Russians are any kind of extremely evil-aggressive. The conditions are as follows. Roads in the Russian Federation were built in cities without taking into account the flow of transport as it is now. Not all drivers were skilled (well, once every driver was a teapot). Car repair road. Well, maybe for many this is not a tragedy, but, nevertheless, few people want to throw out extra money for unexpected scratches and dents. Even insurance with its design requires police waiting, etc. Those. nervous situation. Here people are nervous and react. And not only nervously, but also aggressively.
In the United States, as elsewhere, in places with low levels of traffic, people are more good-natured and polite. Closer to larger cities, there are more aggressive drivers who may behave inappropriately. Aggression on the road is not only an insult and threats through an open window, it is also deliberate deliberate maneuvers that are aimed at creating negative emotions for other drivers. For example, pruning, blocking the road, trying to squeeze to the edge of the road, etc.
They say that the real boom of such behavior in the USA was in the 90s. They began to write a lot about him, shot videos, and generally showed on TV not only in the news, but also in TV shows and films. I do not know how long this would continue, but here the law is harsh in relation to traffic violations and hooliganism. The fact of detention later may not be very successful in affecting a career. The phenomenon has declined strongly, but, of course, is not eradicated.
Psychologist Leon James studied this phenomenon and came to the conclusion that aggressive driving results from the following factors:
1. Stressful situation on the road. Whatever a person’s driving experience is, the chiefdom is still stressful, because the traffic is not 100% controlled by the driver. He, for his part, can abide by all the rules, skillfully avoid accidents, but you won’t be protected from weather conditions and unpredictable fools on the roads. For this reason, in which case, adrenaline hits the head with all the dope that the endocrine system is capable of.
2. Culture. Where social norms and unwritten rules encourage aggressive behavior, there is more. If it is believed that, since you were cut, on purpose or “it happened”, then you are considered a sucker. And it means that after that every self-respecting person should give the offender in the eye. Thus, the "clipped" is more likely to go on aggression in a stressful situation on the road.
3. Habit. People, allowing themselves aggression, "dissolve" themselves. The tonsil of the brain is our watchdog. In response to stress, it gives the brain a signal to fight or flee. People experience either anger or fear (or both) due to the fact that the impulse passes from the tonsil to the limbic. But what a person does not experience during stress, how he will realize these needs, depends on his personality and how much he allows himself certain actions.
In order to assess the correctness and adequacy of their behavior, impulses from the limbic must pass through the frontal cortex. If you give yourself the idea that anger and violence are on the road, this is possible and necessary, then over time, the brain can cease to include the frontal cortex at all, immediately proceeding to the stage of the battle.
What is there to think about? Must beat! This tactic develops into impulsive behavior (actions influenced by the every second mood without thinking). Those. the more you allow yourself aggression in actions, the more chances to make it habitual.
Of course, all people are different. Some people have an impulsive personality since childhood, others could acquire it in the process of life. Naturally, it is easier for them to accelerate in a second "from a cute paw to a terrible bitch."
Although it is believed that you need to let off steam if your brains start to boil in anger, not everyone can do it adequately.
Firstly, most drivers do not go to beat the offender's face, but begin to boil in their own car. Even if they opened the window and cursed, and even honked, they still did not feel avenged for the arbitrariness towards them on the road. From their point of view, the situation is not resolved, and therefore such people in themselves begin to heat up anger. Anger has two ways out. It can be poured on someone, but you can on yourself. Considering that it is far from always possible to find a cutter, a bad mood results in innocent people around. Or anger goes into the category of psychosomatic diseases.
Secondly, if you still fill the face of the offender and restore a sense of justice, this will not protect against repeated incidents in the future. In such cases, the main thing is not that anger is released on time, but that it often arises in a rather pronounced form. This also leads to disease. After an outbreak of anger, a heart attack and stroke can occur.
Basically, in these cases it is recommended to learn to manage your stress and not to wind yourself up with different social attitudes about the significance of what happened on the road. The more you convince yourself that aggression is permissible and necessary, the more you put yourself at risk. In addition to health itself, one should not forget that anger contributes to the narrowing of consciousness and attention, and increases the chance of mistakes and incorrect decisions.
Thus, with difficulties on the road, it is necessary to reduce the level of social stress, which independently unwinds in the driver’s head and focus on the traffic situation. Once it is resolved, it is best to claw any chewing thoughts in your head.