Section 10: Aggression Flashcards
Aggression:
behavior intended to injure another person
4 types of aggression:
- indirect
- direct
- emotional
- instrumental
indirect aggression=
intended to hurt without face to face confrontation
direct =
face to face
emotional=
hurtful behavior and feeling anger
instrumental =
hurting someone to accomplish a non-aggressive goal
Freud Instinct Theory: 2 opposing instincts =
- death = desire to escape stressor through self destruction
- life = to protect ourselves
Instinct theory unscientific why?
Cannot test instincts, not scientifically proven
How do evolutionary psychologists explain aggression?
survival of one’s genes carried on
-survival of the fittestt
Why are evolutionary theories not a full explanation for aggression?
- It’s a way to survive but there are other ways
- aggression might only happen if humans are responding to threats
- Aggression could be nurtured
How are hormones and aggression related?
Testosterone: increased test. leads to increased aggressiom
-dominant behavior, control status
Social Learning theory:
behavior is learned by observing others and through direct experience with rewards and punishments
Bandura, Ross, and Ross: role models
- The children who saw the aggressive role model played in a aggressive way
- Creativity with gun/tether ball - Boys and girls = did not matter if on TV or not
Learning Performance distinction =
Just because you learn something does not mean you’re going to do it = have to have motivation
How might Violent video games contribute to aggression
The more you play violent game/movies = higher chance of aggression
-Frustration-aggression theory (Dollard et al., 1939).
When people are unexpectedly frustrated when cannot/blocked achieve goal, they pursue aggression
3 limitations of the frustration-aggression theory:
- -Frustration does not always produce aggression.
• No, not when obstacle that results in frustration is seen as justified, unintentional, or unavoidable. - • Not all aggression originate from frustration,
not instrumental aggression - • Catharsis does not always reduce motivation to aggress.
No, if aggressive intent remains, aggression can occur again.
Reformulated F-A Hypothesis
Berkowitz (1989, 1993):
Frustration is linked to emotional aggression, not instrumental
Excitation transfer theory
• Zillmann & Bryant (1984)
- ANY physiological arousal can cause aggression
- Arousal-affect model: experience negative emotion
- Depends on Intensity of physiological arousal and type of emotion one is experiencing
Personality and aggression
• Type A vs. Type B personality
- Type A at work: urgent and competitive, higher risk for heart disease, more conflicts in work place
- Conflicts with subordinates
- Less accommodating
- Drive more aggressively
- Road rage
Cognitive neoassociation theory (Berkowitz, 1993):
- The role of the situation: any unpleasant experience leads to negative emotions, these emotions can activate aggressive thoughts if situation primes those thoughts Ex. Violent movies, porn
- Unpleasant experience negative emotions
- Does the situation prime aggression? Yes
- Aggression activated + negative emotions = aggressive behavior more likely to happen
