Aggression Flashcards
What is aggression?
An act conducted by an individual to intentionally cause physical or psychological harm to another living being
What are the 4 criteria that must be met in order to label an action as aggressive?
1) There must be physical or verbal behavior
2) It must involve causing harm or injury, whether it is physical or psychological
3) It must be directed towards another living thing
4) There must be intention to cause harm or injury
What are the 4 types of aggression?
1) Assertive behavior
2) Instrumental aggression
3) Hostile aggression
4) Relational aggression
What is assertive behaviour?
When a person plays with high energy and emotion but within the rules of the game
Give an example of assertive behaviour
A tennis player is playing in a very tough and upbeat manner, but always within the rules
What is instrumental aggression?
When acts of aggression are used to achieve a non-aggressive goal
Give an example of instrumental aggression
In Rugby, a tackle uses a legitimate amount of force of which could injure an opponent, with the goal to achieve victory
What is hostile aggression?
When acts of aggression are conducted where the primary goal is to inflict harm or injury apon an opponent purely for the sake of it
Give an example of hostile aggression
If a player is repetitively fouled or verbally abused they may retaliate with aggression as a result
What is relational aggression?
The use of spreading negative rumors or ostracizing someone socially
Give an example of relational aggression
Creating a group chat without one member of the team, and spreading hate about that player with other teammates
What is Instinct theory?
Instinct theory suggests that all people have an instinctive, inborn need/tendency to be aggressive, that builds up until it needs to be expressed
What are 2 downsides to Instinct theory?
It does not explain why some people are more aggressive than others
Aggression also differs across cultures, and this suggests there must be external influences which influence the chance of aggression
Aggressive behavior is not always inevitable. It can be directed towards another person or is can be displaced. What is this called?
Catharsis - the “release” of suppressed aggression
E.g., playing Rugby at the weekend
What is Social learning theory?
Social learning theory opposes the Instinct theory, and suggests that aggression is learnt through modelling and imitative behaviour, rather than being an inborn instinct
What research did Bandura conduct to prove Social Learning theory?
-Groups of children watched groups of adults playing with dolls
-One group of adults played aggressively, the other passively
-The group of children that watched the adults punching and hitting the doll produced this reaction more than the group who watched the adults play passively with the doll
-Incidents of aggression increased when the children were positively rewarded for their actions
Can you give a sporting example of a situation that related to Bandura’s Social learning theory?
A young football fan will watch a player making hard tackles during a match, which could be dangerous or illegal
This behaviour will be cheered on by the crowd, and the child will see that the more dangerous the tackle, the more praise from the crowd
The child then learns that this is an positive way to play, and mimics the play in his own matches
What is a downside to Bandura’s Social learning theory?
Tt fails to explain how the different people can witness the same events, yet the majority of them will not produce an aggressive response
What is the frustration-aggression theory?
This theory states that aggression is the direct result of frustration that has built up due to goal blockage or failure
What was the first proposal of frustration-aggression, and how was it revised?
In 1939 it was first proposed that frustration would always produce aggression
However in 1989, it was then revised by saying that frustration will lead to anger rather than aggression, and will not always produce an aggressive act
It was said that aggression is more likely if there are aggressive cues present
How does the adapted frustration-aggression theory differ from the original?
It was adapted to include aspects of social learning theory
It acknowledges the role of socially learned cues on aggression
What does the frustration aggression theory state about negative reinforcement?
Aggressive behaviour can be modified through its negative reinforcement
E.g., a player who lashes out and then finds out that results in a disciplinary, is far less likely to repeat the aggressive act
