Frustration-aggression hypothesis Flashcards
What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis according to Dollard and Miller (1939)?
The hypothesis suggests that frustration always results in aggression and aggression is always caused by frustration.
What is frustration?
Feelings which occur when we are prevented from achieving our goals.
What is catharsis?
A form of emotional release by engaging in aggressive behaviour or aggressive thoughts about the target which caused their frustration.
Where does the idea of catharsis originate?
A psychodynamic concept which views aggression as a psychological drive akin to biological drives such as hunger.
What is displaced aggression?
When aggression is displaced from the source of the frustration on to someone or something else (e.g. an inanimate object, younger sibling, pet, etc.).
Explain the reasons aggression is not always expressed directly against the source.
· Cause of frustration may be abstract.
· Cause may be too powerful, and we may risk punishment by aggressing against it.
· Cause may be unavailable at the time.
What is the role of environmental cues?
Frustration creates a readiness for aggression, but it is the cues in the environment which make us more likely to act upon it.
Describe the procedure of the study carried out to investigate frustration aggression - Jigsaw
Male university students had to complete a jigsaw puzzle, but their levels of frustration were manipulated. In one group the puzzle was impossible to solve, in another they ran out of time because a confederate kept interfering and the last group were insulted by the confederate as they failed to solve the puzzle. The participants then had to issue electric shocks to confederate when they made a mistake on another task.
He found that the insulted participants gave the strongest shocks on average, followed by the interfered group and lastly the impossible task group. All three groups selected more intense shocks than a non-frustrated control group.
These findings support the concept that frustration triggers aggressive behaviour and thus providing support for the frustration-aggression hypothesis.
Describe the procedure of the study carried out to investigate frustration aggression environmental cues
100 male participants received electric shocks from a confederate, ranging from one to seven shocks, designed to create anger and frustration. Participants then had the opportunity to turn the tables and give electric shocks to the confederate in one of three conditions – aggressive cue (two guns) present on a table next to the shock machine, non-aggressive cue (badminton racquet) present on a table and no cue present.
Found that participants in the gun condition gave an average number of shocks of 6.07. In the no gun condition they gave an average of 4.67.
What does the frustration aggression hypothesis argue?
Frustration creates a readiness for aggression and acting on this drive is cathartic.
2 Strengths of frustration aggression hypothesis
Marcus-Newhall et al. (2000) conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies of displaced aggression. These studies investigated situations in which aggressive behaviour had to be directed against a ‘human target’ other than the one who caused frustration. They found that frustrated participants who were provoked but unable to retaliate directly against the source of their frustration were significantly more likely to aggress against an innocent party, than people who were not provoked.
This provides conclusive evidence that depicts displaced aggression as a reliable phenomenon and suggests that frustration can lead to aggression against a weaker or more available target.
The frustration-aggression hypothesis has been used as an explanation for historical instances of genocide and mass killings.
Staub (1996) found that mass killings are often rooted in the frustration caused by rapid societal change, political turmoil, economic difficulties, conflict within a society between dominant and subordinate groups. This then leads to scapegoating (finding someone to blame) in the form of displaced aggression. For example, following WWI many Germans blamed the Jews for the loss of the war and the severe economic problems that followed, which lead to significant violence toward, and genocide of, millions of Jews during the Holocaust in WWII.
2 Limitations of the frustration aggression hypothesis (1 COUNTER)
Aggression is not always cathartic.
Bushman (2002) found that participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting a punching bag whilst imagining the source of their anger actually became more aggressive than less. Ironically, doing nothing was more effective at reducing aggression than venting anger. Bushman argues that using venting to reduce anger is akin to using petrol to put out a fire.
Therefore, the suggests that the core assumption of the frustration-aggression hypothesis lacks validity in practice and is more in line with cognitive neo association theory. This theory states that when someone experiences distress, it triggers a network of related thoughts and memories. Bushman argues that venting while ruminating about the source of provocation keeps aggressive thoughts in memory and only increases aggression.
It has been found that frustration does not always lead to aggression and that aggression can occur without frustration.
Reifman et al. (1991) investigated the established ‘heat-aggression relationship’ in the context of US baseball games. They found that as temperatures increased, so did the numbers of players hit by a pitch.
This therefore suggests that the frustration-aggression hypothesis isn’t a wholly comprehensive explanation as it can explains how aggression arises in select situations.
Counter-argument: Berkowitz (1989) reformulated his initial hypothesis to take this criticism into account, which led to the negative affect theory. This theory suggests that frustration is just one of many stimuli that create negative feelings which lead to aggression (others include jealously, pain, loneliness). So aggressive behaviour is triggered by negative feelings generally rather than by frustration specifically
