Aggression Flashcards
What is the definition of aggression?
it is very difficult to define
Behaviour that is intended to injure a person or destroy a property
- can be physical or verbal
- Serves to enhance self:motive
What are some examples of aggression?
war terrorism serious personal violence loss of temper Criticism / cutting remarks domestic violence
Self harm/suicide = aggressive behaviours directed at self
What are theories of aggression?
Nature vs nurture
Nature: aggression is an innate drive
- ethmological approach
- psychological theory
Nurture: aggression is a learned response
- social learning theory
What is the ethmological approach?
“the fighting instinct in beast and man which is directed against members of the same species”
Innate/instinctive
Allows evolutionary development of the species
Competition for limited resources: food/defending territory
Fights between rivals select the strongest and healthiest leaders
What is the psychoanalytic theory?
Described aggression as a basic drive such like hunger and libido
part of our id present at birth
- Id: basic instinctual drives, acts according to pleasure principle
- Ego: acts accordingly to the reality principle, balance between satisfying Id and the super-ego
- super-ego : internalisation of cultural rules and norms, contraindication to Ids
What was freud’s death instinct?
inborn destructiveness - to avoid destroying ourselves, aggression must be directed elsewhere
- “aggressive energy builds up and eventually have to be discharged in some way”
What is the steam boiler analogy?
- can be positive = directing aggression towards sports/physical occupations
- can be negative = aggression towards others
What is dollard’s frustration hypothesis?
Aggression is ALWAYS a consequence of frustration
Frustration ALWAYS leads to some form of aggression
What are the criticisms of the aggression-frustration hypothesis?
Aggression doesn’t always follow frustration
Frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression (learned helplessness, despair, withdrawal)
- argued that frustrations make aggression more likely but situational factors may prevent aggression from occurring
- Frustration induced arousal, whether aggression occurs depends on learned patterns of behaviour and environmental factors
What people commonly demonstrate learned helplessness, not aggression?
People with depression or people who have suffered domestic violence
How is social learning theory associated with aggression?
argued that aggression is a learned form of social behaviour - aggression is not innate
Can form from complex interactions between:
- past learning - including previous reinforcement
- current rewards or punishments
- current social and environmental factors
How is observational learning (modelling) linked to aggression?
Learning though observation of others
- aggressive models
- learning occurs spontaneously (model not deliberately trying to teach)
= individual can learn through observation only
BUT
imitation of behaviour depends on multiple factors including perceived consequences and reinforcement
Why is it important learners learn the consequences of a behaviour?
makes the behaviour more or less likely to occur
reinforcement or punishment
What does reinforcement do and what are the types?
Increases the behaviour
Positive reinforcement: giving treats if child cleans up toys, money, gain social approval or increase status
Negative reinforcement: doing behaviour avoids a negative event/stimulus e.g. seatbelt bleep
Punishment: decreases the behaviour
What is the bobo doll experiments?
Series of experiments looking at children reactions
3 groups:
- control group = no model
- non aggressive model group - experimental group
- aggressive model - experimental group
Experiments included showing the children the model being punished or rewarded
- children less likely to imitate behaviour if they had seen punishment
- However, when asked the children could demonstrate what they had seen (learning present but behaviour was influenced by punishment/behaviour
What are the social and environmental factors involved in influencing aggression?
Direct provocation:
- characteristics of the provoker are important
Attribution of intentions:
- argued that aggression is more likely if we see the frustrater intentionally or improperly interfering with our goals
Hostile attributional bias:
- chronically aggressive children
- believe others act against them intentionally/unfairly (even when it is clearly not the case)
- can lead to retaliatory aggression
What does it mean by “the over controlled violent criminal”?
Cases of violent crimes committed by people who have repressed anger over prolonged period - a trivial incident may provoke aggression
Does exposure of violence in the media have an impact?
perception is dependent on what the violence is:
- realistic settings = news and documentaries rated as more violent
- perception depends on whether violence is justified or not
- how well we sympathise or identify with the character
- whether the associated pain and suffering is depicted
Research demonstrates inconsistent results
What effect can television have on aggression?
Priming: already existing cognitions for behaviour
Acquisition of new aggressive behaviours
Emotional desensitisation - reductio in the emotional response to violence in the media and increased acceptance of violence in real life
What impact does a group have on aggression?
Being in a group increase aggression than an individual
Deindividualism
- individual identity lost when in a group of people
- individuals can act in an uncharacteristically aggressive way when in a group
- individuals merge within the group, loose individuality and gain anonymity
- mob mentality
What impact does arousal have on aggression?
Heightened arousal can increase likelihood of aggression
- competitive games
- vigorous exercise
- some types of music
- explicit pornography
What effect does hot and humid weather have on aggression?
Many studies have shown that there is increased violence and aggression in hot and humid conditions
Worldwide weather records show more violent crimes in the summer
How is pain associated with aggression?
People in pain (both physical and psychological) are more likely to be aggressive than contented people
- including self-directed violence
What are the individual differences in aggression?
Personality = certain traits are more associated with aggression - type A more aggressive than B
Gender = nature vs nurture
Nature= biological differences between males and females (e.g. testosterone)
Nurture.= learned gender roles
aggression is a complex behaviour, interaction of nature and nurture
What is personality disorder?
- deeply ingrained and enduring patterns of behaviour
- manifests as inflexible responses in a variety of settings
- extreme and significant deviations fro how the average person perceives, thinks, feels and relates to others
- Persistent, often appearing in childhood and persisting into adulthood
- causes distress to the person or problems with social functioning
What is antisocial personality disorder?
- callous lack of concern for others
- short lived, transient shallow relationships
- acts impulsively
- irritable
- irresponsible and depart from social norms, do not obey rules
- associated with violent offending
- lack guilt or remorse: behaviour doesn’t change despite punishment, attempt to transfer blame onto other people
- more common in males (M:F = 2:1 - 7:1)
What aetiologies are associated with antisocial personality disorder?
Genetics:
from adoptions studies:
- higher rates of antisocial personality disorder in adoptees separated at birth from parents with antisocial PD compared to adoptees whose biological parents were not antisocial
cerebral pathology and cerebral maturation
- suggestion that antisocial PD associate with reduce pre-frontal grey matter
- deficits in the amygdala responses to stimuli
Altered brain serotonin function (low 5-HIAA in CSF of people who have committed unpremeditated violence)
Childhood development
- separation of young children from mother
- marital disharmony
- growing up in an antisocial family
- association with behavioural problems as a child and antisocial personality in adult life
What is psychopathy?
NOT a medical diagnosis
- used in legal setting and in prison
- can be assessed using Hare psychopathy checklist
encompasses various personality traits inc. antisocial, narcissistic and borderline traits
What are psychopaths often described as?
intelligence, with superficial charm, poor self-control, grandiose self-worth and little or no remorse
How many people would be classified as a psychopath?
1% of the population would meet the criteria
significantly higher in corporate/business settings, particularly senior positions
What are the warning signs for aggressive behaviour ?
irritability, rising tension fast speech restless pacing loud voice, shouting glaring eyes verbal threats intrusion into personal space your gut instinct
What is the best approach when you have an aggressive patient?
Avoid being defensive
Stay calm, speak firmly
Acknowledge anger and try to explore depth of feelings
Demonstrate that you are taking concern seriously
Leave if you feel threatened
