Aggression

Personality development and social relations

Aggression
Physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone

Instinct
Innate Freud: thanatos - inborn selfdestructive characteristics; hydraulic view: aggressive energy builds up and discharged through destructive behavior Lorenz: fighting instinct triggered by certain eliciting cues in the environment

Behavioral concept
Goal-driven behavior Buss: a response that delivers noxious stimuli to another organism Any form of behavior designed to harm or injure another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment

Aggression
Hostile aggression
Aggressive acts for

Instrumental aggression
Aggressive acts for

which the perpetrators major role is to harm or injure a victim Aggression driven by anger and performed as an end in itself

which the perpetrators major goal is to gain access to objects, space or privileges Aggression that is a means to an end

Aggression
Hostile aggression
Intent to harm Goal to harm Anger

Instrumental aggression
Intent to harm Goal to gain privileges No anger

What makes human beings aggressive?

Theories of Aggression

Instinct theories
Aggression is an innate, unlearned behavior pattern exhibited by all members of a species
Freuds thanatos: seeks to end life and

underlies all acts of violence and destruction

Can be discharged in a socially acceptable

fashion though vigorous work or play or less desirable activities such as insulting others, fighting or destroying property

Instinct theories
Lorenz: humans and animals have a basic

fighting instinct that is directed against members of the same species

Aggressive urges continue to build until relieved

by an appropriate releasing stimulus, ensuring the survival of the individual and the species

Empathy: the ability to experience vicariously the same emotions that someone else is experiencing

Learning theories
Is aggression a response to frustration? Frustration: the blocking of goal-directed behavior Frustration/Aggression hypothesis: frustration

triggers aggression and that all aggressive acts can be traced to frustrations (Dollard and colleagues)

Direct

Outward aggression Instigation to aggress Inward aggression Other additional responses Displaced
Redirection of aggression to a target other than the source of frustration

Frustration

Learning theories
Frustration merely makes us angry and creates

only a readiness for aggressive acts

Aggressive cues hypothesis: exposure to any

object or event previously associated with aggression will serve a cuing function and increase the likelihood of aggressive exchanges among young children

Instigating stimuli Frustration

Extremely high readiness

Attack

Readiness to aggress (anger)

Aggressiv e cues

Aggressiv e response

Existing aggressive habits

Learning theories
Banduras social

learning theory: aggressive responses are acquired through: 1. observational learning 2. direct experience

Children attend to and retain in memory the aggressive responses they see others commit

Children who were reinforced for aggressive behavior

Influences on aggression

Aversive Incidents
Pain
Azrins experiment with rats: the greater the shock

the more violent the attack Frustration: psychological pain

Heat
Plus offensive odors, cigarette smoke and air

pollution

Aversive Incidents
Attacks
Being attacked or insulted

Crowding
A subjective feeling of not having enough space per

person

Arousal
A given state of bodily arousal feeds one emotion

or another, depending on how the person interprets and labels the arousal
Being physically stirred up intensifies about any

emotion

Aversive situation Pain or discomfort Frustration Attack or insult crowding

Hostile thoughts and memories

Angry feeling

Arousal

Aggressive Reactions

Other influences
Sight of a weapon
Fire arms Knives Blunt objects

Media influences
Breeds a modest increase in aggressive behavior,

especially in people who are provoked Desensitizes viewers to aggression and alters their perceptions of reality

Controlling aggression

 Catharsis: emotional release

Catharsis hypothesis: the notion that aggressive

urges are reduced when people witness or commit real or symbolic acts of aggression Cathartic technique: a strategy for reducing aggression by encouraging children to vent their anger or frustration on inanimate objects

 Creating nonaggressive environments Eliminating the payoffs for aggression: identifying

and eliminating reinforcing consequences by encouraging alternative means of achieving ones objectives

Thank you!

References:
Myers, D. (2002). Social psychology (2nd ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Shaffer, D. (2005). Social and personality development (5th ed.). CA: Wadsworth.