Diminished Sense of Self-Existence and Self-Reported Aggression among Japanese Students

This study examined the relationship between a diminished sense of self-existence and self-reported aggression among Japanese undergraduate students. Based on the previous scales, 81 items were developed to measure the diminished sense of self-existence and were assumed to represent three dimensions: self, others, and time. 286 undergraduate students rated themselves on the Diminished Sense of Self-existence Scale and the 1992 Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Analysis indicated that men and women had low scores on Verbal Aggression and high scores on Hostility with the diminished sense of self-existence. The diminished sense of self-existence was not generally related to Anger or Physical Aggression in men, whereas in women, Anger and Physical Aggression were found particularly when the sense of self-existence in relations with others was diminished.