Aggression

Question 1

Aggression

Answer 1

The intent to harm

Question 2

Operantionalising aggression

Answer 2

Analogues of behaviour

Signals of intention: expression of willingness to use aggression

Ratings: self report, reports by others

Indirect: non-physical, relational/ psychological aggression

Question 3

Biological

Answer 3

Aggression is innate, instinctual

Beneficial to individual and or species

Adaptive

Shared by most members: goal directed

Question 4

Social

Answer 4

Social context is key

Sometimes involve biological components too, hence bio social

Frustration and aggression

Excitation transfer

Question 5

Biological - psychodynamic

Answer 5

Conflicting human drives

Thanatos energy builds up, needs to be released to maintain personal wellbeing

Question 6

Biological- ethology and evolutionary

Answer 6

Ethology

• Aggression is functional, elicited by specific environmental stimuli
• Humans lack appeasement / subordination repertoires, develop technology that enables us to aggress to easily

Evolutionary social psychology:

• spreading genes to next generation
• aggression linked to living long enough to procreate
• mothers when infants are threatened
• related to territory/ resources

Question 7

Social (bio social): frustration aggression hypothesis

Answer 7

Frustration at antecedent to aggression

Question 8

Excitation transfer

Zillman

Answer 8

Aggression comes from:

• learnt aggressive behaviour
• arousal
• interpretation of the arousal in a way that makes an aggressive response seem appropriate

Question 9

Social learning theory

Answer 9

Aggression learnt via operant conditioning

Provide rewards and is socially acceptable

Bandura- bobo doll

Question 10

Social: personality / individual differences

Answer 10

Aggression proneness seems to develop early

Aggression as a personality trait

Affected by age, gender, experience, culture

Other traits:

• low self esteem and poor tolerance
• narcissistic
• attachment insecurity
• type A personality

Question 11

Hormones

Van Goozen

Answer 11

Increased aggression when transitioning from female to male

Decreased aggression when transitioning from male to female

Testosterone implicated in aggression

Question 12

Gender

Answer 12

Socialisation of different gender characteristics

Men tend to be more aggressive than women

Women tend to engage in more indirect forms of aggression

Question 13

Alcohol

Answer 13

Makes people more aggressive

Compromises cortical control and increases activity in more primitive brain areas

Disinhibition hypothesis

Placebo effect- expectations that alcohol will make aggressive
Priming effect- activating thoughts of alcohol increased aggressive behaviour

Question 14

Heat

Answer 14

Increased ambient temperature is associated with various types of aggression

Question 15

Crowding

Answer 15

Leads to fighting

Population density has been linked to crime rates

Household density and neighbourhood density

Question 16

General Aggression Model (GAM)

Anderson and bushman (2002)

Answer 16

Interplay between personal and situational variables

3 internal states: cognition, affect, arousal

Question 17

Disadvantaged groups

Answer 17

Social disadvantage lead to aggression and target of aggression

Likely due to a mix of social and ecological factors

Absence of pro social norms

Relative deprivation- discontent coupled with feeling that chances of improving conditions through legitimate means is minimal

Question 18

Culture of honour

Answer 18

Some societies endorse male violence as a way to address threats to means reputation as dominant, strong protectors

Female infidelity damages a mans reputation

Cultural values of female loyalty and sacrifice, and male honour, work together to validate abuse

Question 19

Subculture of violence

Answer 19

Found in minority subgroups- can be a reward for violence and sanctions for non compliance

Question 20

Mass media

Answer 20

Easy access to sanitised versions of aggression/ violence in the media has been argued to desensitise viewers

Question 21

Institutionalised aggression

War

Answer 21

Societies with more war have more war like sports

More severe punishments for crimes

Higher rates of homicide and assault

Question 22

Institutionalised aggression

Role of state

Answer 22

Warfare only possible with supporting psychological structures involving beliefs and emotions of a people / population

If lacking, use propaganda

Legitimises prejudice

Question 23

Institutionalised aggression

Role of person

Answer 23

Obedience to authority - Milgram

People can enter agentic state- give up their responsibility and become agents of others

Question 24

Pornography

Answer 24

Link between Exposure to pornography and sexual deviancy, sexual assault, attitudes to intimate relationships, and belief in rape myths

Desensitises makes to aggression against women

Depicting women enjoying the acts

Question 25

Intimate partner violence

IPV

Causes

Answer 25

Learned patterns of aggression persist across generations ‘abuse syndrome’

Proximity of family members- those close to us annoy us the most

Stresses- financial, unemployment, illness

Traditional notions of power in nuclear families

Alcohol consumption

Question 26

IPV and football

Answer 26

Increase in risk 26% when England won or drew

Increase in risk 38% when England lost

Violent offending increases on match days

Alcohol likely to play a role