Chapter 10- Aggression Flashcards
Aggression
Behavior directed toward the goal of harming another living being who is motivated to avoid such treatment
Thanatos (death wish)
Sigmund Freud believe that aggression stems mainly from a powerful death wish we all possess
This instinct is initially aimed at self-destruction, but is soon redirected outward, toward others
Drive theories
Theories suggesting that aggression stems from external conditions that arouse the motive to harm or injure others.
The most famous of those is the frustration-aggression hypothesis
General aggression model (GAM)
A modern theory of aggression suggesting that aggression is triggered by a wide range of input variables that influence arousal, affective stages, and cognitions
Determinants of aggression
Aggression is influenced by a wide range of social, cultural, personal, and situational conditions
- frustration
- provocation
- teasing
Frustration-aggression hypothesis
The suggestion that frustration is a very powerful determinant of aggression
Provocation
Actions by others that tend to trigger aggression in the recipient, often because they are perceived as stemming from malicious intent
Teasing
Provoking statements that call attention to the target’s flaws and imperfections
Excitation transfer theory
A theory suggesting that arousal produced in one situation can persist and intensify emotional reactions occurring in later situations
Media violence
Exposure to media violence has been found to increase aggression among viewers. This is due to several factors, such as the priming of aggressive thoughts and a weakening of restraints against aggression, and also to desensitization to such materials
Hostile expectation bias
A strong expectation that others will behave aggressively
Desensitization effects
As a result of exposure to large amounts of violent content in television programs, films, and video games, individuals become less sensitive to violence and its consequences
Knowledge structures
Structures reflecting, and combining, these beliefs (related to aggression), and expectations, schemes, and scripts
Cultures of honor
Cultures in which there are strong norms indicating that aggression is an appropriate response to insults to one’s honor
Threats to masculinity
Threats to manhood may encourage aggression as a means of restoring or pretext if manhood
Personal causes of aggression
- personality traits
- gender
TASS Model
The traits as situational sensitivities model. A view suggesting that many personality traits function in a threshold-like manner, influencing behavior only when situations evoke them
Type A behavior pattern
A pattern consisting primarily of high levels of competitiveness, tile urgency, and hostility
Type B behavior pattern
A pattern consisting of the absence of characteristics associated with the type A behavior pattern
Hostile aggression
Aggression in which the prime objective is inflicting some kind of harm on the victim
Instrumental aggression
Aggression in which the primary goal is not to harm the victim but rather attainment of some other goal– for example, access to values resources
Gender differences
Males are more aggressive overall than females, but this difference is highly dependent on the situation and is eliminated in the context of strong provocation.
- males are more likely to use direct forms of aggression, but females are more likely to use indirect forms of aggression (ex: gossip, spreading false negative rumors)
- both women and men who combine aggression with relationship-enhancing skills are very popular, and this, too, suggests that gender differences in aggression are smaller and more complex than was suggested in the past
Situational determinants
- high temperatures (heat aggression)
- alcohol
Heat aggression (high temperatures)
High temperatures tend to increase aggression, but only up to a point. Beyond some level, aggression declines as temperatures rises
