Physical Fight in Traffic: A Qualitative Investigation Through Psychoanalytic Theory

Abstract

Physical fights in traffic settings are one of the concerning manifestations of aggressive driving that is a threat to public safety. Despite the rich literature about aggression in traffic settings, studies investigating physical fights in this context are limited. Lacanian theory, taking its roots from Freud, underlines the place of rules and identification in the psychic structuring of the human being. The current study aimed to investigate the experiences of drivers and the reasons for being involved in a physical fight based on the discourses of the participants who were involved. Since traffic settings have clear rules that each participant must follow, as well as an inherent element of rivalry among participants, the study's findings were discussed from a Lacanian point of view to explain the theoretical explanation behind the behavior. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five male participants between the ages of 48 to 55. Transcripts were analyzed following the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis approach. Based on the results, three superordinate themes were detected: “irregularities as a cause for conflict”, “masculine power struggle”, and “need to secure justice”. Limitations and further implications were discussed.

Keywords: driver anger expression, interpretative phenomenological analysis, Lacanian theory, physical aggression, road rage