Effects of alcohol intake and induced frustration on fire-starting disposition

The object of the present study was to see whether there are tendencies towards reactive arson, measured as the relationships among frustration, intoxication, and a disposition to start fires. One hundred individuals, 50 men and 50 women, participated. All were students and were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 experimental groups, namely control, placebo, frustration, alcohol, and alcohol + frustration. A projective test was devised which required the participant to complete a short story where the content involved a person who had suffered humiliation and persecution and who was fingering a box of matches in his/her pocket. Results indicated that frustration in-creases the probability of starting fires, but, in this study, alcohol did not increase the degree of relation to fire. Results also suggest that there are strong cognitive barriers in a population of university students against fantasizing about starting fires.