Aggression Flashcards
Define Aggression
It Is a physical and verbal behavior intended to harm someone (Dehue et al., 2008).
Define Hostile aggression
Intentional behavior to hurt someone. Most murders are hostile arising from drugs or alcohol (Ertl et al., 2019).
Define Instrumental aggression
Intentionally hurting someone but to achieve another purpose. o Adolescents who bully committing this type of behavior can lead to achieve higher status or popularity (Samilvalli, 2009).
What are the key aggression influences
We have the Biological influence, Neutral influence, Genetic influence, Biochemical influence, and Hormonal influence.
Explain The Biological Influences of aggression
It argues that aggression was instinctive and it was innate, unlearned and universal. However, the assumption that aggressiveness is a result of instinct fails to take into account the role of one’s environment. For example: Men showing more aggressive behavior when their social status is threatened (Griskecivius et al., 2009).
Explain The Neural Influences of aggression
There has been evidence that the activation and deactivation of neural networks in the brain can facilitate an increase and decrease in aggression respectively. For example: Sleep deprivation also increases aggressive behavior, Students who slept less were more physically and socially aggressive (Chester et al., 2020).
Explain The Genetic Influences of aggression
In the (Lagerspetz, 1979), study he took a set of normal albino mice and bred the most aggressive ones together, and the same was repeated for the least aggressive mice. After repeating the procedure for 26 generations, he had a set of fierce and placid mice. However, genetics and environment alone don’t lead someone to be aggressive. Instead, certain genes make them more sensitive to maltreatment.
Explain The Biochemical Influence of aggression
Both Laboratory and Police Data support the claim that alcohol influences someone to aggress when they are provoked (Bushman, 1993). Alcohol increases aggression by reducing self-awareness, focusing attention on provocation, and the mental association of alcohol and aggression.
Explain The Hormonal Influences of aggression
Testosterone, while having a larger influence on animals, also increases aggressive behavior. High-testosterone adolescent males are more prone to aggressive behavior than those with lower testosterone levels (Book et al., 2001).
Explain The Frustration-aggression Theory (Dollard et al., 1939)
We get frustrated when we try to achieve a goal and fail and expect gratification. Sometimes frustration increases aggression and sometimes not. Frustration only produces aggression when the reason is unjustified (Berkowitz, 1989).
Explain The Displacement theory
Aggression can have consequences. Most people learn to inhibit aggression and direct it to a safer source. Most likely when the displaced target shares similarities to the instigator and they do a minor irritating act that unleashes displaced aggression (Vasquez, 2005).
Explain The Relative deprivation phenomena
Those who see a higher gap in what they want to achieve are likely to be more frustrated. For example: happiness is lower and crime rates are higher in countries with higher income inequality (Coccia, 2017).
Explain The Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1997)
We learn aggression by imitating other people and taking note of the consequences. The ‘Bobo-doll’ experiment, had preschool children observe a person being aggressive towards an inflated bobo doll with a mallet. And when the kids were frustrated from not being able to play with attractive toys, they were much more likely to attack the bobo doll in the same manner as the person did.
Explain Aggression Cues
aggression cues release pent-up anger and (Berkowitz, 1968) found that weapons were such cues. The mere presence of weapons increased aggressive thoughts and behaviors called the “weapon effect” (Benjamin et al. 2018).
Explain Media Influences
When men watch pornography involving sexual violence and assault, they are more likely to accept the rape myth, where they hay a skewed perception that women willingly accept non-consensual intercourse. Boys and girls aged 10-15 who have seen sexual media were 6 times more likely to be sexually aggressive towards others (Ybarra et al., 2011).
Explain why TV shows, Movies, and Online Videos lead to more aggressive behavior
The more violent the content of the child’s TV viewing, the more violent the child (Eron, 1987). Also includes social aggression (gossiping, backbiting, and social exclusion). The media affects behavior because viewing violence causes arousal, and lowers the inhibition of acting aggressively; It primes them for aggressive behavior, violent thoughts, and acts. Media violence decreases feelings of empathy for others by normalizing it (Krahe & Moller, 2010).
Explain Video Games Influence
Those who play violent video games are on average more aggressive than those who don’t among children, adolescents, and young adults in multiple regions of the world (Groves et al., 2021). Violent video games increase aggressive behavior, and arguments, encourage feeling anger or revenge as well as decrease the feeling of empathy towards others. However, video games are not all bad and help with eye-coordination and motor skills to a certain extent As well as fulfilling the needs of having a sense of control and competence.
Explain Group Influences
Aggression tendencies increase in groups because of diffused responsibilities as well as men angered by a supposed fellow participant retaliated with the decision to give much stronger shocks when in groups than alone (Jaffe et al., 1981).
Critically evaluate The Frustration-aggression Theory
Strength:
1. Clear and understandable explanations
2. Empirical evidence
3. Practical applications
Weaknesses:
1. Oversimplified the complex nature of human aggression
2. lack of mechanistic explanation
3. limited predictive power
Critically evaluate The Displacement Theory
Strength:
1. It redirected aggression
2. adhere to social norms
3. serves as a protective function
Weaknesses:
1. lack of ethical implications
2. neglecting the underlying processes involved in decision making
Critically evaluate The Social Learning Theory
Strength:
1. Explains how individuals acquire new behaviors
2. highlights the importance of cognitive processes
3. Offers practical application and empirical support.
Weaknesses:
1. it overlooks individual differences in learning styles
2. neglects cognitive processes
3. It downplayed the role of biological factors
4. raised ethical concerns for the Bobo Doll experiment
