Aggression Flashcards
what is aggression?
anderson and bushman (2002) defined aggression as any behaviour directed towards another individual that is carried out with the proximate intent to cause harm
how can aggression be measured?
- analogues of behaviour
- signal of intention
- ratings by self/others
- indirect aggression
biological theories of aggression
- psychodynamic
- evolutionary
- genes
psychodynamic theory of aggression
conflict between death instinct (thanos) and life instinct (eros) which moves from internal destruction to outward hostility
neo-freudians argue aggression builds up and must be released
evolutionary theory of aggression
behaviour evolves over time and aggression safeguards survival
more pronounced among offspring as it leads to social and economic advantage
genes theory of aggresion
can explain 40-50% of aggressive behaviour
diminished MAO-A gene is associated with higher animal aggression
more pronounced when combined with other genetic and environmental factors
individual theories of aggression
- personality
- alcohol
personality theory of aggression
certain personalities are aligned with a higher propensity for aggression, such as type a reporting more aggressive expressions whilst on the road
higher levels of ___________ and __________ led to smaller aggression, unlike _______, __________, and _______
agreeableness
openness
psychopathy
narcissism
sadism
alcohol theory of aggression
increases aggressive behaviour by lowering inhibition
the taylor paradigm shows alcohol is important in determining subjective pain levels
interaction of personality and alcohol
low agreeableness and high trait aggressivity were associated with high aggression under low provocation
this was only when intoxicated
social theories of aggression
- frustration
- excitation-transfer
- social learning theory
frustration theory of aggression
dollard (1939) argues aggression arises from frustration, and the target of aggression may not be the source of frustration
affective aggression
feeling aggressive but not behaving as such
instrumental aggression
display of negative behaviour used to accomplish something
excitation-transfer theory of aggression
heightened biological states (arousal) can predispose aggression as an unintended response
social learning theory of aggression
aggressive behaviour is learned through behaviourism and imitation, as children can learn aggressive behaviour through role models
aggression as a product of social experience
situational theories of aggression
- crowding
- heat
crowding theory of aggression
increased aggression can be caused by neighbourhood and household density, as actions are perceived as more hostile
heat theory of aggression
aggression increases alongside temperature, and alcohol may be a contributing factor
who developed the general aggression model?
anderson and bushman (2002) developed GAM as an integrative framework that draws factors together to explain aggressive behaviour
general aggression model
- inputs (personality and provocation)
- routes (arousal, feelings, and thoughts)
- outcomes (appraisal leads to automatic or thoughtful acts)
under GAM, what do the outcomes result in?
the social encounter which feeds back into inputs
types of group aggression
- disinhibition
- dehumanisation
- deindividuation
disinhibition
breakdown of learnt social controls that prevent aggressive behaviour
dehumanisation
stripping people of their humanity leads to feeling freer to act aggressively towards them
deindividuation
adopting a group identity makes people more likely to commit acts they would not normally do
what did sherif’s study examine?
intergroup attitudes and behaviours in the robbers cave
what did sherif’s study find?
- ingroup formation
- intergroup conflict
- reduction of intergroup conflict
ingroup formation
differentiated themselves into hierarchies, roles, and norms
intergroup conflict
negative attitudes were expressed, ranging from verbal to physical
reduction of intergroup conflict
group activities led to more opportunities for aggression, whereas cooperation to achieve a desired goal reduced hostility
explanations for intergroup conflict
- realistic conflict theory
- relative deprivation theory
realistic conflict theory
intergroup hostility arises from competition for material resources
relative deprivation theory
discontent arises from social comparison that others are better off
egoistic relative deprivation
individual comparison
fraternal relative deprivation
group comparison, more likely to cause intergroup conflict
reducing intergroup conflict
- education
- intergroup contact
- superordinate goals
education
interventions that develop understanding and empathy can reduce intergroup aggression, by decreasing explicit bias
intergroup contact
increased contact between groups can identify similarities and positive exemplars
superordinate goals
can reduce conflict that occurs due to discrete intragroup goals
