Sports Psychology - Agression

Question 1

What is aggression?

Answer 1

The intent to harm outside the rules of the sports event.

Question 2

What is assertion?

Answer 2

Forceful behaviour within the laws of the event.

Question 3

What is Freud’s instinct theory of aggression?

Answer 3

Aggression is a natural response and important for the evolution redevelopment of the species.
– Freud stated that aggressive impulses would build up and if not release to aggressive acts that would be danger to their well-being.

Question 4

What are the complications with Freud’s instinct theory of aggression?

Answer 4

– Human behaviour is far more complex than animals = hard to generalise.
– if this is the case or humans would be expected to display similar tendencies, but this is not so.

Question 5

What is Dollard’s frustration aggression hypothesis?

Answer 5

– Frustration will always lead to aggression as any blocking of goals, we are trying to reach increases our drive = increased aggression.
– Aggression once initiated will then reduce the frustration = catharsis

Question 7

What are the evaluative points of the frustration aggression hypothesis?

Answer 7

– Frustration doesn’t always lead to aggression: it often occurs with no evidence of frustration.
– Berkowitz this theory closer to the social learning view that frustration can make us potentially aggressive but isn’t sufficient on its own to cause aggressive behaviour.

Question 8

What is the aggressive cue hypothesis?

Answer 8

– When an individual is frustrated, there is an increase in their arousal level which creates a predisposition for aggression.
– If aggression is going to occur certain stimuli must be present that act as cues for the athlete who then associates the cue to being aggressive.

Question 9

What is Bandura’s social learning theory to aggression?

Answer 9

– Aggression is a learned response rather than instinctive.
– We learn by observing an imitating behaviour of others.
– In sport individuals will learn to be aggressive if they see significant others being aggressive or if their aggression is reinforced by others.

Question 10

How can we eliminate aggressive tendencies in sport?

Answer 10

1. Control arousal levels of participant via stress management techniques.
2. Avoid situations that initiate aggressive responses.
3. Remove the aggressive player.
4. Reinforce non-aggressive acts.
5. Show non-aggressive role models and highlight successful non-aggressive sports people.
6. Punish and aggressive participants.
7. More peer pressure to be non-aggressive.
8. Highlight position of responsibility aggression could let the rest of the team down.