Neuroticism can lead to hostility:
- Egan & Lewis (2011): "Neuroticism and agreeableness differentiate emotional and narcissistic expressions of aggression"Egan & Lewis (2011): "Neuroticism and agreeableness differentiate emotional and narcissistic expressions of aggression"
A key finding in this study is the influence of N on a variety of distress types; Suls and Martin (2005) have observed the ‘neurotic cascade’ produced by N. Hyper-reactivity, differential exposure to negative events because of the environments high-N persons select and create for themselves, differential appraisal for events (e.g., perceiving experiences as more troubling than they really are), negative emotional transfer, and problems changing maladaptive ways of coping with distress and challenges all combine to upset a high-N person, which may make them hostile. However, high N does not drive outwardly directed narcissistic aggression.
However, I am not clear about the difference between anxiety and neuroticism, as well as between hostility and aggression.
References
Egan, V., & Lewis, M. (2011). Neuroticism and agreeableness differentiate emotional and narcissistic expressions of aggression. Personality and Individual Differences, 50(6), 845-850. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2011.01.007
