Understanding and Controlling Aggression

Question 1

Aggression

Answer 1

Behaviour primarily intended to harm another living being.

Question 2

Physical aggression

Answer 2

Behaviour intended to cause physical harm to another living being.

Question 3

Social aggression

Answer 3

Behaviour intended to cause harm to another person’s emotional or social wellbeing without inflicting physical injury.

Question 4

Ethology

Answer 4

The study on animal behaviour.

Question 5

Catharsis

Answer 5

The release of pent-up aggressive energy through vicarious or symbolic acts of aggression.

Question 6

Endocrinology

Answer 6

The manufacture, storage, chemistry and biological function of hormones within the body.

Question 7

Twin studies

Answer 7

Quasi-experimental studies in which similarities in the behaviour of monozygotic (identical) twins are compared to those between other siblings such as dizygotic (non-identical) twins. Behaviours can be seen as heritable if they are shared significantly more among monozygotic twins. Stronger evidence of a genetic component comes from studies of twins reared apart.

Question 8

Psychopathy

Answer 8

A personality disorder characterized by impaired moral conscience, lack of empathy for others, and sensitivity to fearful and negative stimuli.

Question 9

‘Warrior gene’

Answer 9

A gene responsible for regulating the manufacture of monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A). Some 34% of the population carry this gene, which has been associated with a heightened incidence of psychopathy and aggression among ethnically European samples.

Question 10

Serotonin

Answer 10

A monoamine neurotransmitter found in the gut, blood and central nervous systems of humans and other animals. It is involved in the regulation of sleep, appetite and mood. Depressed levels or function of serotonin are associated with increased levels of aggression.

Question 11

Testosterone

Answer 11

A steroid hormone found in both sexes of many animals, but in amounts roughly 10 times higher in men than in women. It is associated with increased bone and muscle mass. Studies suggest it may be associated with increased risk taking, selfishness and aggression.

Question 12

Displaced aggression

Answer 12

Aggression that is aroused by one source but directed at another.

Question 13

Frustration

Answer 13

An aversive state that is triggered when individuals are prevented from achieving a goal they are pursuing.

Question 14

Aversive condition

Answer 14

Any condition that an organism finds unpleasant and seeks to avoid, modify or escape where possible. An array of aversive conditions have been shown to trigger aggressive responses.

Question 15

Relative deprivation

Answer 15

The perception that, relative to others, one is not receiving good treatment or experiencing desired outcomes.

Question 16

Mean world syndrome

Answer 16

Exaggerated perceptions of the frequency of violence and antisocial behaviour that may follow from the consumption of violent media material.

Question 17

Desensitization

Answer 17

Reductions in negative emotions to violence that ensue from repeated exposure to violent stimuli. Because negative emotions help deter people from aggression, desensitization can lead to increased levels of aggression.

Question 18

General aggression model (GAM)

Answer 18

Model describing the situational and personality variables that combine to produce human aggression.

Question 19

Catharsis model

Answer 19

Pg. 588

Question 20

Norms model

Answer 20

Pg. 588

Question 21

Culture of honour

Answer 21

A culture in which honour and reputation, especially of men, is held to be important, and in which violence is seen as a justified means of defending one’s honour.

Question 22

Hate crime

Answer 22

An aggressive and illegal act against a person or persons that is motivated by prejudice towards the group to which they belong.

Question 23

The male warrior hypothesis

Answer 23

The argument that men who are effective warriors have had an advantage in accessing mates and thus passing on their genes. As a result, through evolutionary processes, men have acquired a psychological makeup that predisposes them to warlike behaviour.