key question

Question 1

what is the key question

Answer 1

‘what are the implications for society if aggression is found to be caused by nature not nurture’

Question 2

A01

Answer 2

-the key question looks at the implications of the belief that agression is caused by our biology, gene determination, inherited influence, hormonal influences or brain activity

this suggests that psychological treatments to handle agression such as CBT are ineffective and only drug treatments which change/ monitor bio influences can change out aggression

this can have an impact on society and the criminal justice system because it suggests that crimes committed are out of the individuals control completely, therefore prehaps we shouldnt punish criminals as its not their fault

police found 19% increase in violent crimes in 2020
20% increase in domestic abuse
464,000 people died due to violent crimes in 2017

this demonstrates how its essential to understand the true cause of crime to limit agressive behaviour that could harm society, to be able to formulate treatments.

Question 3

A02

Answer 3

biological explanations suggest that aggression is caused by hormones such as testosterone and cortisol

• testosterone is predominately a male hormone as they are exposed to it during the womb and during birth, males are suggested to be more agressive than females as 95% of violent crimes are committed by males, correlating high levels testosterone with agression, this involvment in crime usually begins in adolescene which is when there levels increase during puberty.
• cortisol is also associated with crime, cortisol is associated with mediating- deciding how to act during stresful times, people that produce more cortisol may feel more stress when commiting acts of violence whereas someone with less cortisol likely to feel less stress and guilt making it easier to carry out acts of violence

cortisol is also linked to testosterone, cortisol inhibits testosterone if there is low levels it cant inhibit from acting agressively.

if we suggest that hormones are the only cause of out agression it would suggest that tokens used on criminals in prisons- TEP are ineffective and prehaps hormone treatment such as MPA is the only effectieve treatment this reduces the level of testosterone and is often used on sex offenders or extremely violent criminals

this may impact people that are currently using psychological treatment as it suggests its ineffective

Question 4

A03-hormones

Answer 4

dabbs et al uses 89 male prisoners testing there saliva for testosterone, 10/11 that committed violent crimes had high levels of testosterone and other prisoners saw them as ‘ tough’

weakness: limited sample, may have similarities not represtntitive of a wirder population of agressive individuals

Question 5

A02- brain structure

Answer 5

an underactive PFC is found to be associated with agression - raine NGRI murders,
PFC is associated with decision making, planning and impulse control, underactive poor decison making, unable to plan concequences and lack of impulse control.

this has implications as suggests that legal system is unfair becuase people cant control agression if its a predispositioned defect and therefore shouldnt be punishe, this can lead to people not taking responsibility for their actions, not taking treatment- social as it wont work, due to brain, and leaving society at risk

Question 6

A03- PFC

Answer 6

Strength- phineas gage, responsible, intellgeent, well socially adapted—–> impulsive irritable difficulties decision making.

weakness- case study, individual differences

Question 7

alternative

Answer 7

SLT, learning agression through role models,bandura found that children became agressive watching same sex role models hitting a bobo doll aggressivley
suggesting that prehaps social influences can lead to agression not just bio.

Question 8

application

Answer 8

suggests prisions and rehanilitation useless, should only use medical therapies and surgery- amygdaletomies to reduce aggression

although if we suggest its through nuture, learn behaviour through envitonemtal stimuli, agression can be learned through, behavioural therapies such as CBT unlearn behaviour and positive role models

stress diathesis model suitable