Chapter 12- Aggression Flashcards
aggression
- intentional behavior aimed at causing either physical or psychological pain
- intent to harm
- physical or verbal
- may or may not succeed
- NOT assertiveness
hostile aggression
-stems from feeling of anger and is aimed at inflicting pain or injury
instrumental aggression
- intention to hurt another person, but the hurting takes place as a means to some goal
- Ex: tackling in football
why are males aggressive
- ) establish dominance and ensure gene survival
2. ) ensure mating
evolutionary view of aggression
- aggression has evolved as a way to increase survival
- also evolved to develop inhibitory mechanisms to keep aggression in check when necessary
- doesn’t give whole story
what determines aggression
- ) genetics
- ) previous social experiences
- ) specific social context
differences in aggression across cultures
- all humans violent by nature, but there are different degrees
- Europeans- always at war
- collectivist cultures- lower levels
- close knit- very rare unless outside danger
culture of honor
- even small disputes put a man’s reputation for toughness on the line, requiring him to respond with violence
- has to prove “manhood”
- aggression is part of male identity
gender and aggression
- boys more physically aggressive
- girls more relationally aggressive
- smaller differences if either becomes insulted
relational aggression
- hars another person through manipulation of relationship
- gossiping, rumors, shunning, etc
- common with women
alcohol and aggression
- disinhibitor
- reduces anxiety
- lowers social inhibition
- disrupts processing, planning, and controlling
- leads to aggression
think-drink effect
-people act aggressively b/c they expect the alcohol to make them that way
frustration
- when a person is thwarted on the way to an expected goal or gratification
- increases likelihood of aggression, especially when closer to goal (expectation high)
- not deprivation
relative deprivation
- perception that you have less than you deserve
- less than what you have expected
- less than what others similar to you have
major source of frustration
- the need to reciprocate
- another person acts aggressively toward you, so you feel the need to act aggressively in return
social learning theory
- we learn social behavior (altruism or aggression) by observing others and imitating them
- Ex: Bobo doll- see violence, do violence
why media evokes aggression
- ) increases physiological arousal
- ) triggers automatic tendency to imitate hostility
- ) primes existing aggressive ideas and expectations (scripts)
social scripts
- approved ways of behaving socially that we learn from culture
- ranges from helping others to behaving violently
consequences of violent media
- leads to “numbing” toward actual violence
- leads to dehumanizing real people
- leads to internal magnification of danger
- most impacting on those pre-disposed to violence
views of aggression after media violence
- ) if they can do it, so can I
- ) so that’s how you do it
- ) anger feelings are response to stress
- ) just another beating
- ) I have to act first
predictors of aggressive behavior
- genetic predisposition
- socially rejected
- victim of abuse
- living in violent home/community
- most vulnerable to impacts of media violence
harsh punishment response to aggression
- backfires with children b/c results in greater feelings of anxiety and doesn’t usually suggest alternative behavior
- successful in adulthood if punishment is prompt and certain
catharsis
- notion that blowing off steam verbally or physically relieves built up aggression
- not true
- better off controlling temper
blaming victim of aggression
- find reasons to dislike someone, act aggressively, and then more likely to harm victim again
- persuade that person deserved it (reducing dissonance)
actively enabling
- controlling anger by allowing it to dissipate
- counting to 10
- breathing
- doing distracting activity
best way to relieve aggression
- make clear statement indicating feelings of anger
- without being judgmental
- “opening up,” not venting
- utilizing self awareness
constructive ways to deal with anger
- ) cool off
- ) get involved in pleasant activity
- ) take responsibility for acts
- ) communicate effectively
- ) apologize
- ) strengthen empathetic skills
Based on information from your text, under which circumstance are you LEAST likely to reciprocate aggression?
your friend insults you after telling you he failed his exam
A neurotransmitter (brain chemical) whose lack is associated with aggression is
serotonin
Little Neil is frustrated and is threatening to throttle his baby sister. His mother intervenes, and suggests that Neil “get over it” by taking a dozen eggs and smashing them against the tree in the front yard. Neil’s mother appears to be a proponent of _____ as a means of reducing aggression.
catharsis
In explaining the race riots of 1967 and 1968, Reverend Jesse Jackson noted that the riots occurred in the middle of rising expectations and the increased, though inadequate, social spending of African Americans. His analysis best reflects the notion of______ as a source of aggression.
relative deprivation
Your friend Jane is trying to reduce her young son’s aggressive tendencies. After reading Chapter 12 of your text, you might recommend all of the following except
allow him to safely vent his anger by beating a doll
“It’s the male’s role to persist in his sexual advances, and the woman’s role to set limits.” According to the text, the preceding statement is an example of a sexual
script
According to the social-psychological definition of “aggression,” which of the behaviors below is the best example of aggression?
child throws a temper tantrum and tries to hit his father
Based on information presented in your text, what are the two evolutionary reasons why males are aggressive?
dominance and jealousy
According to evolutionary theory, discussed by the authors of your text, why do males tend to be more violent in their teens and 20’s?
those are peak reproductive years
When Sigmund Freud wrote, “It is at work in every living being and is striving to bring it to ruin and to reduce life to its original condition of inanimate matter,” he was referring to
Thanatos
Two children, Jane and Joan, have been eyeing a new water pistol in the local toy store for months. Each is convinced that her parents will buy her the water pistol as soon as summer comes. Yesterday, Jane’s parents bought her the water pistol, which turned out to be the last one in the store. As soon as Joan found out, she had a temper tantrum and hit Jane in the stomach. ________ best explains Joan’s behavior.
frustration-aggression theory
A country called Asukistan has just entered a war with a neighboring nation. Based on research (Archer & Gartner, 1976, 1984) on the effects of war on aggression, how will the citizens of Asukistan be affected?
homicide rates will increase
Which of the following is the best example of hostile aggression?
Bernie is angry at his mother and screams at her
Which of the following is true?
non-aggressive children become more aggressive when exposed to long term violent TV
Based on what your text reports, which of the following conditions of punishment is/are most likely to deter violent criminals?
punishment is swift and certain
Survey research by Richard Nisbett (1993) has revealed that although Southerners are no more likely than Northerners to endorse aggression in general,
southerners are more prone to aggress in response to insults
In which situations are women and girls less aggressive than men and boys?
everyday situations when nothing is going on
Which of the following best characterizes scientific findings on the relation between viewing sexually explicit materials and violence against women? Viewing materials that _________ the likelihood of aggression against women.
combine sex and violence increase
In an experiment by Berkowitz and Le Page (1967), some participants were made angry in the presence of a gun and other participants were made angry in the presence of a badminton racket. Participants were then given the opportunity to deliver electric shock to the person who angered them. Which of the following statements accurately describes the results?
delivered more intense shocks in presence of gun
Which statement below most accurately reflects the relation between alcohol and aggression?
alcohol facilitates people acting on their early most obvious response
Riots and violent crimes are most likely to occur in the
summer
which is false about violent TV
Watching television violence can strengthen people’s learned inhibitions against violent behavior
Who is most likely to have said the following about human aggression: “It is not determined by blood, but by the society we belong to.”
Rousseau
A little girl watches a television cartoon in which a woman yanks a child by the hair and screams at her. After seeing the cartoon, the little girl acts out this same interaction with her doll. The girl’s behavior is best explained by
social learning theory
Aggression is associated with the activation of which of the following brain areas?
amygdala
