Aggression Flashcards
What is aggression?
any behaviour that hurts another, physically or emotionally
Physical or verbal behaviour intended to
harm another individual (the target)
must be something that the target wants to avoid
by accident wouldn’t be aggression
physical aggression
hurting someone’s body
social aggression
hurting feelings or threatening
relationships, trying to hurt their relationships
Instrumental aggression
in order to obtain something of value– this person is in the way from me getting something. don’t actually care about hurting the person
common with young children trying to get a toy but can’t ask for it yet
hostile agression
harm for its own sake
driven by anger and desire to cause harm or pain
Causes of aggression
governed by specific social circumstances
biological factors– instinctively aggressive, more predisposed to feeling aggressive
Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis– aggressive in response to events that are frustrating
Arousal-Affect Model– Negative affect (caused by noise, crowding, heat, rejection etc..) increases physiological arousal and can lead to aggression through excitation transfer
Social Learning Theory– the behaving in a certain way will help us achieve a goal
Cognitive Factors– ie/ child getting bumped into assuming it was to hurt you or if it was accident.
obtaining what you want
Hostile attribution bias–influenced by how we are brought up in and environment.
how you interpret ambiguous situations– attributing that people are being aggressive toward you–you will be aggressive back
weapons effect–presense of weapon (not having to use them) increases aggressive behaviour
mitigating information– if people feel remorse, they will not attribute aggression to them
gender matters– women more likely to be emotionally, behaviour and relationship aggressive.
men more likely to be physically aggressive, especially if majority race(class).
understanding why people– increase empathy, decrease aggressive
biological factors
instinctively aggressive, more predisposed to feeling aggressive
Arousal-affect model
Negative affect (caused by noise, crowding, heat, rejection etc..) increases physiological arousal and can lead to aggression through excitation transfer
Generalized version of frustration aggression model
Recognizes frustration leads to aggression, but it is not the only thing
Negative affect—negative emotions
Can be caused by a lot of things
Increase physiological arousal
social learning theory
the behaving in a certain way will help us achieve a goal
cognitive factors of aggression
ie/ child getting bumped into assuming it was to hurt you or if it was accident. obtaining what you want
hostile attribution bias
influenced by how we are brought up in and environment.
how you interpret ambiguous situations– attributing that people are being aggressive toward you–you will be aggressive back
cognitive bias
weapons effect
presense of weapon (not having to use them) increases aggressive behaviour
occurs when people are already aroused
effect involves priming, primes aggression
sight of weapon makes more accessible
mitigating information
if people feel remorse, they will not attribute aggression to them
apologies or explanation can reduce aggressive behaviour
gender matters
women more likely to be emotionally, behaviour and relationship aggressive.
men more likely to be physically aggressive, especially if majority race(class).
understanding why people– increase empathy, decrease aggressive
AGGRESSION AS A
BIOLOGICAL PHENOMENON
common in social life
basic human instinct– as natural as our urge to breath (frued)
Evolutionary psychology
Aggression as an innate, unlearned behaviour
pattern exhibited by all members of a species
survival of the fittest– strongest, most aggressive animals are at top positions– control over food and shelter, resource and mating partners
not really true
Neural influences
no one specific part is responsible for aggression
Genetic influence
MAOL gene– affects sensitivity
more likely too assume people are aggressive
combination of gene and abusive childhood. individual not a big effect
Prefrontal cortex
helps prevent aggressive
less active in people who are really aggressive, ie/ like a murderer
can control impulses
biochemical infulences
Alcohol–reduces self awareness, increases deviant behaviour.
more responsive to an aggressiveness towards you
Testosterone– increased test, increased aggression. higher in rats
poor diet– decreased omega 3, increased aggression. decreased Ca2+, increased impassivity
biology and behaviour interact– nature and nurture. by itself can’t cause behaviour
combination of MAOL gene and abusive childhood. MAOL gene affects sensitivity, more likely to assume people are aggressive. Individually these do not have a big effect
Frustration-aggression theory
something prevents you from achieving a gold, frustration + environmental cues = aggression
Aggression is caused by external environmental factors
frustration does not always increase aggression. cyberbullying mostly rooted in frustration
Related to video games and violence, losing competitive situation
The theory that frustration (the blocking of a goal-directed behaviour) triggers a readiness to agree
Aggression is an elicited drive
Every act of aggression is due to some prior frustration
Ie/ making a child watch other kids play
Frustration produces anger— aggression doesn’t always happen
The role of aggressive cues— need cues facilitating aggression
aggressive in response to events that are frustrating
Displacement
Not necessarily towards person frustrating you.
Ie/ mad at boss (can’t take it out on boss)— so friend meets you and is late so you take it out on them, “the safer option”
The redirection of aggression to a target other than the source of the frustration
Generally a safer or more socially acceptable target
Relative deprivation
The perception that one is less well off than others to whom one compares oneself
If you think other are doing better than you, then we will be frustrated/annoyed
Ie/ thought you did well on exam then compare
Gap in one’s desired level of need satisfaction and one’s actual need
2 Exams one version harder—think we had harder version
Perceiving that someone is better
Aggression as a response to discomfort
Aversive incidents;
Pain
Heat
Attacks
Ie- unexpected loss of basketball game
Always involve outcomes that people would prefer to avoid
Arousal;
A given state of bodily arousal feeds one emotion or another, depending on how the person interprets and labels the arousal
People given adrenaline would mimic the emotion of other person
arousal-affect model
generalized version of frustration aggression model
negative effect (caused by noise, crowding, heat, rejection etc..) increases physiological arousal and can lead to aggression through excitation transfer
recognizes that frustration leads to aggression, but it is not the only thing
negative affect - negative emotions, can be caused by a lot of things
increased physiological arousal
elements of hostile aggression
an aversive situation can trigger aggression by provoking hostile cognitions, hostile feelings, and arousal. These reactions make us more likely to perceive harmful intent and to react aggressively
Aversive situation like pain or discomfort, frustration, attack or insult or crowding leads to hostile thoughts and memories, angry feelings or arousal which leads to aggressive reactions
Aggression as learned social behaviour
If you behave aggressively and get what you want—more likely to do again
The rewards of aggression—reinforcement
Unpleasant/negative punishment decreases behaviour
Observation learning—limitation.
Social learning theory: The theory that we learn social behaviour by observing and imitating and by being rewarded and punished—ie/ another child throwing a fit and getting what they want. Other child will see that
e.g., Bandura’s “Bobo” doll experiments (toy designed to be hit)
The family—how we interact. Ie/ family has high aggression interaction. Not 1:1 correlation
The culture—non democratic, men seeing themselves as warriors and in charge, high income and equality increases aggression
e.g., the “culture of honour” in the southern U.S.— south more aggressive states
Operant conditioning—negative and positive punishment
the social learning view of aggression
the emotional arousal from an aversive experience motivates aggression
whether aggression or some other response actually occurs depends on what consequences we have learned to expect
MEDIA INFLUENCES: PORNOGRAPHY
AND SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Distorted perceptions of sexual reality
Aggression against women
Media awareness education
Media’s effects on thinking
Desensitization—come less sensitive to aggression after viewing it—you are less reluctant to hurt others
Social scripts
Altered perception
Cognitive priming—portrayals of violents activate aggressive thoughts and pro-aggressive attitudes.
Activation of attitude increases behaviou
Television’s effects on behaviour
One type of arousal energizes other behaviours
Viewing violence disinhibits
Media portrayals evoke imitation
video games and aggression
leads to psychological and emotional arousal, hostility, anger
increase HR
GROUP INFLUENCES
Anger proned personals
Diffusion of responsibility
Social contagion
Social identity
“Moral imperatives”
Amplification of aggressive tendencies
Group polarization
HOW CAN AGGRESSION BE REDUCED?
Reduce frustration
A social learning approach— Reward cooperative, nonaggressive behaviour.
Threatened punishment limited effectiveness(actual punishment).
Teach conflict-resolution strategies.
Reduce media influences.
Reduce triggers of aggression
Culture Change and world violence—War is becoming less common
