Psychology B1 - social approach to explaining aggression Flashcards
influences on others: conformity to social group norms
-norm = unstated ‘rule about what behaviours are considered appropriate and inappropriate
-members of a group generally conform to shared norms.
influences on others: conformity to social group norms — gender norms
-in cultures, gender norms dictate that men = aggressive behaviour to achieve status, money or other social rewards (Eagly and Wood 1991)
-women = nurturing and gentle rather than aggressive
-one exception is that women may be verbally aggressive as long as it releases anger
-part of the gender norm that women should be emotionally expressive
influences on others: conformity to social group norms — cultural norms
-cultures differ in levels of violent crimes
-cases of murder are more than 12 times higher in the USA than in Iceland
-implies these cultures have different norms about aggression
influences on others: stereotypes and aggression
-stereotypes = cognitive ‘shortcuts’ that allow us to interact in the social world
-when meeting individuals we fit them into a category and then think we know how they are likely to behave
influences on others: stereotypes and aggression — gender stereotypes
-physical aggression = strongly associated with stereotyped masculinity
-is dangerous because it can lead to acceptance and tolerance of sexual harassment and violence perpetrated by men against women
influences on others: stereotypes and aggression — ethnic stereotypes
Black men are often stereotyped as aggressive, more so than any other ethnic group
-is dangerous because it may lead to tolerance of racist opinions and aggressive behaviour towards young black men
-example, by the police, highlighted by the #BlackLivesMatter movement, see left).
influences on others: influence of the media — role modelling
-media provides aggressive role models for people, especially children, to imitate
-imitation is more likely when the model has characteristics the observer admires, such as fame and wealth
influences on others: influence of the media — desensitisation
-when we witness aggressive behaviour we experience physiological arousal
-example, increased heart rate
-but repeatedly viewing aggression (eg. on TV or in computer games) may mean people get used to its effects - become desensitised
-experience less physiological arousal in response to aggression and also feel less empathy for victims (Funk et al. 2004)
influences on others: influence of the media — disinhibition
-are strong social and psychological inhibitions against using aggression
-the inhibitions are loosened after we have observed aggressive behaviour in the media
-media depictions can make aggression appear
‘normal’, shows it’s normal
-repeated exposure can disinhibit viewers and create new social norms that are more accepting of aggression
influences on others: institutional aggression
-research into institutional aggression has mostly focused on prison
-aggression may be caused by the prison environment, which includes other people (inmates, staff)
-McGuire (2018), two powerful ways in which other people influence prison aggression are; gang membership and staff behaviour
influences on others: institutional aggression — gang membership
-being a member of a gang is strongly linked to a prison inmate engaging in violence, even if the inmate was not in a gang before prison
-because gang leaders can exercise control over members in a prison environment
-more involved inmates are with gangs, the more likely they are to behave aggressively
influences on others: institutional aggression — staff behaviour
-serious violence by inmates is higher in prisons where staff are inconsistent in applying disciplinary measures
-example, where decisions made by prison officers are regularly overturned by senior managers
evaluation: practical applications (+)
-understanding of social influences can be applied in prisons
-example, one effective way to reduce prison aggression is for prison staff to apply rules consistently (McGuire 2018)
-helps because it means there has to be communication between staff and with inmates
-when communication = good and the rules = clear and applied consistently, inmates are less likely to develop a sense of injustice that can motivate aggression
-social influences that affect aggression can be altered to help reduce aggressive behaviour in prisons
evaluation: research support (+)
-research confirms the role of social influences on aggression
-example, people who watched a film depicting aggression as socially acceptable later gave more (fake) electric shocks to a confederate (Berkowitz and Alioto 1973)
-violence disinhibited aggressive behaviour because it was presented as vengeance
-other research shows that physiological arousal to aggression gradually reduces in people who habitually experience violent media (Krahé et al. 2011)
-suggests that media are key social influences on aggressive behaviour
evaluation: role of biological factors (-)
-biological factors may outweigh social influences on aggression
-norms, stereotypes and media = important influences on aggression
-some psychologists argue that biological factors are at least equally significant
-example, many studies have shown a link between the male sex hormone testosterone and aggression in both men and women
-castrating a male animal is accompanied by a reduction in both testosterone and aggression (Giammanco et al. 2005)
-all of the social influences on this spread are only partial explanations of aggression and may have less effect than biological factors such as hormones
