Aggression Flashcards
what can aggression be hidden as?
humor
- dark humor
what does serial, spree, mass and workplace violence all have in common?
minimally killed 2 people, usually 4+
what is Bartol’s definition of aggression?
behavior perpetrated or attempted with the intention of harming another individuals physically or psychologically
is passive-aggression behavior easy to prosecute?
no it is very difficult and is almsot never criminal
hostile (expressive)
aggression for its own sake
- done out of intense anger, arousal, excitement
- want to harm somebody
- group setting and get out of hand
- episodic
- in response to real or perceived provocation
- very sensitized and looking for things that irritate them
examples of hostile
rape - displaced, sadistic
- beatings
homicides
instrumental
means to an end
- directed towards someone who poses an aobstavle to the attainment of a goal, often matieral
- isnt intential to harm or injure but contracted hits fall uncomfo into this category
- only the NECESSARY amount of force utilized
homicide categories
serial
spree
mass
homicide description
multiple murders - 3+
- rare but commands vast media and public attention
- in memory
- most who commit homicide only do it ONCE
- sometimes done by mistake
who committed homicide?
dahmer
gacy
jack the ripper
manson family
hillside stranglers
is homicide on the rise?
yes but careful with stats (artifact of improved police communication/database construction)
- on rise bc police keeping track of weapons found on streets
-> case-linkage analysis
what is more used in homicides?
semi-automatic weapons
what type of pattern is serial murder?
one at a time
what are the murders separated by?
cooling off period lasting days to years
- they get whatever psychological satisfaction wanted from murder so take a break until build up tension
- relatively stable and same each time so give them away bc it is a pattern to track
who are the victims for serial murder?
young disenfranchised females
- not known to them
- no vicitim type just go for whoever without getting caught (availability rather than specific features)
- children more recently
perpetrator description
late onset of serious criminal behavior - 24-40 (avg = 36)
- rarely have significant juv history
- may have record for petty nonsense
- avoid arrest for avg of about 4yrs after onset of killing
- avg rate of killing = 4 per year
- avg amount of kills = 16
who do serial killers pick on?
- difficult to catch them bc they pick on individuals that are not immediately missed, usually strangers or casual acquaitnaces
- murders go up when people rendered homeless (economic downturn
- choose people not actively monitored by anyone
- precipitous release of psych patients: rush for more rapid relsease of patients so most “stable” are released - large amount of reoffending
- victims of exploitation and violence
when do serial killers get caught?
sloppiness - MO gets sloppy or coincidence
female serial killers
- more likely to be financially motivated
- use poisons rather than direct violence
- act in concert with male offender (men seduce F met in jail and prompt them to go and commit crime on their behalf)
Holmes and DeBurger subtypes
visionary
mission-oriented
hedonistic: lust, thrill
power/control
- mental illness not present often
visionary
MOST likely to be psychotic
- may claim he is responding to COMMAND hallucinations
- some types of voice in their head or inner commands telling them what to do
- some form of ultimatum
Berkowitz
man who set up in a college campus and said accepting order from his dog who was possessed by a demon
- responding to command hallucinations
- visionary
-
missionary
believes it is necessary and justifiable to rid of the world of certain class of individuals
- unlikely to be psychotic and may later claim otherwise
- elaborately developed beliefs around group he targets
- build a sense of kinship with person
- not very ethical, not giving reliable info
hedonistic
Gacy, Hillside, Dahmer
- enjoy actual process of killing
- death is slow and painful
what class is included in hedonistic?
homicidal sexual sadists
describe hedonistics
- enjoy process of killing
- death is slow and painful
- sometimes about control and level of pain the victim is in
- well-prepared, few have had elaborate torture chambers set up in isolated locations
what does pain and suffering do for sexual sadists?
adds to arousal
lust
purely for sake of sexual arousal
thrill
get a rush out of doing it
what purpose do video recordings do for hedonistics?
like a trophy
power and control
- pleasure from victims helplessness and pleas for mercy
- sexually assault (humiliation)
what is the difference between hedonistic and power/control?
the reason they do it
recognition seeker
desire for publicity
- wants to be known and connected to crime
material gain seeker
money
- usually F
black widow seekers
marry someone and kill or arrange killing to get money
- move elsewhere then again
spree murder
- kill in short period of time
- no cooling off
- occurs like fleeing from another crime
- state of panic
- not usually repeated
- unlikely to do it again even if getting away with it
mass murder
victims killed at once
- occur quickly and little warning
-> may communicate intentions to disbelieving others ahead of time
- well planned
-> assailant’s own death by suicide or police bullet may be part of plan
- most score low or mod range for violent RA
what is the difference between spree and mass?
intention
- mass = intentional
suicide by cop
plan to die from fire from cops “go down in a blaze of glory”
what occurs when the pandemic hit?
very dramatic dip
who do assailants target?
specific individuals or representatives of perceived oppressors
how to perpetrators suffer?
anger
frustration
sense of profound loss
withdrawn
isolated
do assailants come in looking for a fair fight?
no - well armed
- dont care if they die. want to inflict damage
guns in US vs Canada
assault rifle vs multiple small guns
type 1 workplace violence
perp no prior relationship to location
- injury usually instrumental
- just wants to do smth, not personal
type 2 workplace violence
- former clinet/customer that feels mistreated
- wants to get back at them
- decent amount of media attention
type 3 workplace violence
disgruntled employee - MOST MEDIA attention
type 4 workplace violence
- incidental location
- perp after soemone that works there
- extension of DV
- extension of IPV
- one of them leaves their abuser and goes to a shelter, but the abuser knows where they works and goes there to get to them
- people (coworkers) trying to protect victim from this violence can end up as victims themselves
how is workplace v 4 related to school shooter?
- sense of humiliation or mistreated
- financial situation may be such that losing income has catastrophic personal consequences -> acted in desperation (all is lost)
- limited flexibility: feel they are right about everything and highly intolerant of anybody with diff view, support force or violence
representative profile
- White male, 35 to 45 years of age
- Migratory job history: not in one place for long period, may not be voluntary
- Loner with little or no family or social support
- Chronically disgruntled
- Externalizes blame; rarely accepts responsibility for things gone wrong
- Takes criticism poorly
- Identifies with violence
- More than a casual user of drugs and/or alcohol
- Keen interest in firearms and other dangerous weapons
warning signs
** Repeated violations of company policies - unwilling to correct
- Fascination with violent and/or sexually explicit movies or publications
- Escalation of domestic problems
- Large withdrawals from, or closing of account in the company’s credit union
** Increased use of alcohol and/or illegal drugs: missing work or intoxication BIG
- Unexplained increase in absenteeism
- Noticeable decrease in attention to appearance and hygiene: most psychiatric conditions
- Depression and withdrawal
- Explosive outbursts of anger or rage without provocation
- Threatens or verbally abuses co-workers and supervisors
- Repeated comments that indicate suicidal tendencies
- Frequent, vague physical complaints
- Noticeably unstable emotional responses
-**Suspicious or paranoid behavior
- Preoccupation with previous incidents of violence
- Increased mood swings
- Has a plan to “solve all problems”
- Resistance and over-reaction to changes in procedures
- Increase of unsolicited comments about firearms and other dangerous weapons
- Empathy with individuals committing violence
psychodynamic theory
results of bottled up energy and lack of appropriate catharsis
does direct or indirect exposure to aggressive activities less risk of aggressive behavior?
no it doesnt
over controlled hostility
individuals who commit highly violent, out of character acts score high on OH and shyness measure than habitual criminals
-> committed to prosocial norms until explosive rxn
excitation transfer hypothesis
stage set for aggression in one situation and acted out in another
- overall autonomic arousal or heightened state
- act out in aggressive way bc small provocation that would normally not cause issues
- IPV uses this theory - transfer probelsm in one location home
ethological theory
aggressive behavior is biological imperative selected by millions of yrs of evolution
- rxn to territory challenges
- most show ritualized aggression that results in little or no injury to either party
- end in appeasement behaviors that signal end of conflict
-> when someone stares at you the best thing to do is to smile and slowly look at someone else
frustration-aggression hypothesis
aggression natural consequence of frustration
- predictable outcome
extinction bursts
oncrease in strength and freq of operant responding when expected reinforcement is no longer delivered
- vending machine example
how to create a bully
positive reinforcement causing increase in aggression or responding
why is it hard to measure frustration?
unlikely to cooperate in that state
do most instances of frustration end in aggression?
no
- most can contain it
revised F-A hypothesis
3 stages
1) Person is blocked from obtaining a goal.
Frustration results - non deleivery of scheduled reinforcement
2) Frustration engenders anger - intermediate variable
3) Anger increases the chances of aggression emerging, but this depends greatly on learning history, and the presence of other aggression-elevating stimuli - SCT, SPJ
- dynamic > static = aggression
what did Berkowtiz add?
- Frustrated individual sees the impediment as deliberate.
- Frustrated individual sees the impediment as illegitimate.
-> Resulting affect is subjectively unpleasant.
-> Any act that lowers it is likely to be negatively reinforced
social learning
learnign conditions most apt to result in aggression are:
1) Plenty of observation of aggressive behavior. - desensitization
2) Reinforcement for aggression.
- Happens all the time, and quite naturally.
- Eg., better toys, others backing down, social prestige (to a point).
- Most effective over the short term.
3) Being the target of others’ aggression
physiological response
high T - more in younger boys
low serotonin
pms - late luteal dyphoric phase = predictable mood pattern
- high ambient temps
- high pop density
control
psychosurgery - extreme cases - epilpetic patients
tranq - not long term, straight jacket for aggression
ssri - lower anxiety and depression
anti-androgeneric steriods - sexual offenders
