Psychology and Life – Aggression (Free Access)
Aggression
- Actions that are designed to harm others
- Perspectives on Aggression
- Biological
Factors [Freud]
- Aggression stems from thanatos i.e. death instinct
- Konrad
Lorenz
- Aggression stems from inherent fighting instinct;
- Strongest in males due to evolution
- Modern
thoughts
- Genes may be ‘slightly’ responsible
- Males more aggressive toward males
- Males less aggressive toward females (except in cases of domestic violence)
- Not
same for females
- Generally not as aggressive as males, irrespective of sex
- Drive
theories
- External conditions cause motive to aggression, especially increase in frustration levels
- Biological
Factors [Freud]
- Frustration-Aggression
Hypothesis [Dollard]
- Frustration
leads to arousal to harm which is the cause of frustration
- Frustration always leads to aggression
- Aggression always stems from some frustration
- Frustration
leads to arousal to harm which is the cause of frustration
- Modern → Social
learning
- Aggression comes from experience including experiences with aggressive people and culture
- General Aggression Model
(GAM) [Anderson Bushman]
- 2
inputs can create aggressive behaviour:
- Situational
factors
- Frustration, provocation, exposure to other aggressive people or discomfort
- Personal
factors
- Traits predisposing towards aggression, attitudes and beliefs about violence, perceiving others as hostile
- Situational
factors
- 2
inputs can create aggressive behaviour:
- 3 processes in a human
being when exposed to input of aggression causing stimuli
- Arousal – increase physiological excitement
- Affective – hostile feelings
- Cognitions
– hostile thoughts/beliefs/attitudes
- Appraisal
of these will lead to decision to overt aggression
- Also known as thoughtful impulse
- Appraisal
of these will lead to decision to overt aggression
- Direct provocation leads to
major aggression
- Types:
- Condescension
- Criticism of us
- Teasing
- Statements harming public image
- Types:
- Excitation Transfer Theory
- states physiological arousal dissipates slowly and a portion of it may transfer from one situation to another
- As a result of overexposure to violent things, people may become desensitive to aggression contact
- But it may also increase tendency to aggress
- Emotion → heightened arousal → aggression (excitation transfer theory)