Aggression Flashcards
(50 cards)
Define aggression
Behaviour intended to harm another individual, actions as well as words can be aggressive
Instrumental and emotional aggression are endpoints on a continuum
What is instrumental (proactive) aggression?
Inflicting harm to obtain something of value
Aggression aimed at harming someone for personal gain, attention or self-defence
Often calculated, and if the aggressor believes there is an easier way to obtain the goal, aggression will not occur
What is emotional (reactive) aggression?
Inflicting harm for their own sake
Often impulsive and carried out at the heat of the moment
Discuss the cultural differences in relation to aggression
Gun-related violence is higher in the US (legally allowed guns)
Group aggression is higher in Western Europe - football supporters are often culprits of aggressive behaviour
Rates of dating violence are higher amongst Israeli Arabs than Israeli Jews
Groping on public transportation in Japan (64% of women in twenties and thirties have experienced it, and as a result female-only carriages have been introduced
Discuss gender differences within aggression
Men are more violent than women in physical aggression and direct-verbal aggression. Women are more aggressive indirectly
What is indirect aggression?
Telling lies to get someone into trouble; or shutting a person out of desired activities
Discuss how aggression has originated from evolutionary psychology
Individuals who could and would fight had greater chances for reproductive success and being accepted in a group
They would pass down these tendencies to their offspring - natural selection
Discuss how evolutionary psychology explains male aggression
Males are competitive with each other because females select high-status males for mating; and aggression is a way to achieve and maintain status
Males cannot be certain that offspring is theirs which leads to sexual jealousy
Discuss how evolutionary psychology explains female aggression
Women are more limited than men in number of offspring which leads to women defending their offspring
Women place a higher value than men on protecting their lives, again to protect their offspring
Is aggression inherited?
To some extent. Not much research and is difficult to conduct
Name some biological factors of aggression and explain them.
Testosterone: Strong correlation between testosterone levels and aggression in animals, weaker, but existing, relationship in humans
Index-ring finger ratio: Longer ring than index finer thought to be associated with higher prenatal testosterone levels, and is (IN MEN ONLY) weakly correlated with higher aggression
Serotonin: It appears to work as a brake and restrains aggression - drugs that boost serotonin lowers aggression in individuals
Brain and executive functioning: Abnormalities in frontal lobe structures are related to aggression as it disrupts executive functioning - executive functioning enables people to respond reasonably and flexibly rather than driven purely by external stimuli
Explain the index-ring finger ratio in relation to aggression.
If the ring finger is longer than the index finger, it is thought that there was high prenatal testosterone levels IN MEN ONLY and is weakly correlated with aggression
Discuss how aggression may be learnt
Aggressive behaviour is strongly affected by learning (Bandura, 1973). By rewards, punishments and social learning theory
How can rewards implicate aggression?
Positive reinforcement - aggression produces desirable outcomes
Negative reinforcement - aggression stops un-desriable outcomes
Discuss the 3 ways in which punishment can affect aggression
- It needs to immediately follow the aggression
- It is strong enough to deter the aggressor
- It is consistently applied and seen as fair by the aggressor
If these conditions are seldom met and, if not, can backfire
Punishment offers a model to imitate
Explain how social learning theory can implicate aggression
The theory that behaviour is learned through the observation of others as well as through the direct experience of rewards and punishments.
People learn from models through direct experience or media
People develop positive attitudes towards aggression from aggressive models
Models construct aggressive scripts that serve as guides for how to behave and solve problems
Explain Wilkinson & Carr (2008)’s study relevant to Social Learning Theory
Interviewed 416 young violent offenders from New York.
Results:
93% had seen someone get beaten badly
75% had seen someone get knifed
92% had seen someone get shot
77% had seen someone get killed
75% had a close friend seen killed by violence
Why do people become delinquents?
Because their self-sanction mechanisms do not work (Bandura, 1986)
Explain what moral justification is
Giving yourself a reason to do something immoral “he gave land to the Arabs, so I am allowed to kill him”
Explain what palliative comparison is
Giving reason for immoral actions in terms of making it seem not as bad “others avoid paying taxed, I only steal little things”
Explain what Euphemistic labelling is
Giving nice names to ugly actions
Give an example of minimising/ignoring/misconstructing’s consequences
Supermarket will not suffer if I steal small things
Give 6 examples of moral self-sanctions
Moral Justification Palliative Comparison Euphemistic Labelling Minimising/Ignoring/Misconstructing Dehumanisation Blaming the victim
What is dehumanisation?
Don’t think of people as human e.g. “tank components rather than humans”
