Week 11 - Aggression Flashcards
What is aggression
Any physical or verbal behaviour that is intended to HARM another person
What is violence?
Acts of aggression with more SEVERE consequences
What are the 2 types of aggression?
AFFECTIVE aggression: harm seeking that is elicited in response to a NEGATIVE emotion
INSTRUMENTAL aggression: ^^ that serves some other goals
What is the “trust game” example?
Caudate activation learned trust as reward
What is the aggressive unconscious who was involved?
What are the 3 sections?
Freud
1) EROS: human inborn instinct to create pleasure and create
2) THANATOS: human inborn instinct to aggress and to destroy
3) DISPLACEMENT & CATHARSIS: process of releasing strong/repressed emotions
What was “Jung’s shadow”?
What does he think of projection?
The dark side of personality, CAN be +
BUT it is mostly - cause it’s HIDDEN and the UNWANTED part of ourselves
Projection = destruction of things embodying those unwanted aspects
What is the counter to psychodynamics?
LEARNING to aggress
Aggressive action = desired attention + specific rewards + alleviate neg. = become more likely
Aggressive action = dissonance = attitude shifts that justify actions
Ex) social learning theory and Albert Bandura
What does “awareness” mean in psychology?
Existence is a bummer
However, we are AWARE
This meaning and capability elevates/unites us
What is existential “bad faith”
ESCAPE from the dilemma of existence
DONT worry about oneself or meaning of life
Ignoring existential questions
Ignoring moral imperative
What does Erich Fromm/Theodor think of “bad faith”?
What are the 3 aspects?
Escape from the angst of FREEDOM
1) Impersonal identity
2) Authoritarism
3) Destruction
What is the evolutionary argument for aggression?
Male aggressors more likely to OBTAIN resources + attract mates through higher STATUS, increasing odds of REPRODUCTIVED success
Females want to PROTECT their offspring
Social animals can coordinate against other groups
INCREASED aggression found in step families
What is the genetic argument for aggression?
BASIS for aggression
Identical twins show greater overlap in aggression VS fraternal siblings
Meta-analysis genetic factors account for large VARIANCE in aggression
What is the neurobiology argument for aggression?
What are the 2 brain regions involved?
Research confirms physiological mech in DETECTION of social threat, anger, and aggressive behaviour
1) Dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC) —-> detect social threat
2) hypothalamus and amygdala (anger and fear, fight or flight (epinephrine, norepinephrine))
What part of the brain is involved in impulse regulation?
Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC)
Medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC)
Help SHARE connections w/ limbic system + contain serotonin receptors
What is the testosterone argument for aggression?
Think of it as a _____________, increases existing behavioural tendencies.
SEX hormone
~10x higher in men
Link w/ aggression is complex
Role with inhibitor and control of sexual/aggression
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Energizer
What is the 2D:4D ratio?
What is high, equal and low ratios?
What is the typical male and female ratio?
High: Index (pointer) LONGER than ring finger
Equal: Index (pointer) and ring fingers of EQUAL length ***TYPICAL FEMALE
Low: Index (pointer) SHORTER than ring finger ***TYPICAL MALE
The lower 2D:4D ratio seen in men correlates with what?
Good visual and spatial awareness
Athletic achievement
Dominance and masculinity
Sensation seeking and psychoticism
What does a higher 2D:4D typically do to women?
Verbal fluency
Emotional problems
Neuroticism
What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?
ORIGINAL vs REVISED version
Original: aggression is ALWAYS preceded by frustration and that’s frustration leads to aggression
Revised: suggest that frustration PRODUCES an emotional READINESS to aggress
What are some situational triggers of aggression?
Context
Priming
Culture
Physical threat
Psychological conflict
What is the “weapons effect”?
Tendency for firearms to INCREASE the likelihood of aggression
Increases when people are FRUSTRATED
What about gun ownership and aggression?
For HUNTERS, guns usually aren’t aggressive
Most Americans are not recreational hunters
Gun homicides in U.S are high compared to other places
How does culture effect aggression?
U.S?
Among (U.S) national cultures…
In U.S murder rate is DOUBLE the world average
Within (U.S) nations…
Culture is HONOR (status protection)
Threat and aggression can be __________ or ____________.
Physical:
- Physical/verbal attack (fight/flight)
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Psychological:
- Insult/social rejection (rejection sensitivity)
- Narcissism and unstable self-esteem
Who was Kurt Lewin and what was his proposal in terms of aggression?
Push and pull forces B = (P,E)
Psychological conflicts
Un-freeze —> change —> freeze
What is approach-avoidance theory?
How does this relate to the frustration-aggression hypothesis?
DRIVE towards things we WANT (approach)
DRIVE away things we DON’T WANT (avoid)
DRIVES can CONFLICT
—————————————————————
DRIVES can be BLOCKED
Aggression after frustration CAN have UTILITY (can remove block)
Displaced aggression VS triggered displaced aggression?
Displaced: directed toward a target OTHER than the SOURCE of one’s frustration
Triggered displaced: occurs when someone does not respond to INITIAL frustration, but later responses more aggressively than would be warranted to a SECOND event
What does anger correlate with?
Left PFC
Approach personality
Reward sensitivity
What role does morals play in aggression?
Largely concerned with REDUCING harm and PROMOTING prosocial behaviour
Moral VIOLATIONS seem to unleash aggression
Morals are largely based in EMOTION
What is proximal function VS distal function in terms of aggression?
Proximal:
-Aggression is emotion-driven, irrational, harmful etc..
Distal:
- Aggression serves to help groups or society’s cohere
What is ‘altruistic’ punishment?
Punishment that has NO DIRECT benefit, but has significant cost for the punisher
Example of anger as a PROXIMAL cause
Some evidence suggests altruistic punishment is what?
Prosocial, controlled, unselfish etc…
Morals as a cause….?
Morals as a constraint…?
Cause.. as observer:
- What we want is violated by another INDIVIDUAL
Constraint.. as actor:
- We feel guilt as our behaviour conflicts with our MORALS and VALUES
- Motivates us
What is moral disengagement?
Albert Banda, recall social learning theory
INTERNALIZED moral codes guide us away from aggression and violence
How is oxytocin related to aggression in animals?
Prairie voles —> oxytocin after birth —> increased aggression
Mice —> increased aggression to intruders (not own pups)
Squirrel monkeys —> oxytocin —> enhanced territorial aggression?
What about oxytocin and relation with partner violence?
BOTH + and - effects
Hypothesized to promote relationship goals
What is the dark triad?
What are the 3 components?
MORALS are largely EMOTION based
Disengagement from MORAL emotions should INCREASE aggression and violence
1) narcissism
2) psychopathy
3) Machiavellianism
What is psychopathy?
Give an example
Ted Bundy - serial killer
Charismatic and able to determine what’s RIGHT from WRONG
Absence of guilt or shame
Impaired emotional system?
Reduced reactivity to NEGATIVE stimuli
Abnormalities in insula and amygdala
When does religion increase aggression?
Divisions b/w groups and DEHUMANIZES out groups
illusions of MORAL superiority and invulnerability
IRRATIONAL thinking
“When god sanctions killing”
When does religion decrease aggression?
The core of religion is the GOLDEN RULE
Content-free or unadultered content = region w/out CORRUPTED aspects
Emphasizes god as UNIVERSAL = MORAL laws for all
“God is good”
“God is watching”
True or false. Does a violent family life make a person more susceptible to aggression?
TRUE
It disrupts psychological security
Rejected/abused children also more likely
True or false. Individualistic cultures are not any more likely to be more aggressive compared to collectivistic cultures
FALSE
Individualistic cultures tend to be more aggressive
What are some personality traits that might make a person more aggressive?
1) narcissists/low self-esteem
2) high in impulsivity
3) over controlled people
4) high in sadism (enjoy causing pain on others)
How do alcohol and drugs increase aggressiveness?
Illegal business in drugs —> full of violence
Drugs can cause PARANOIA and INCREASE AROUSAL
Alcohol IMPAIRS higher-order thinking
Hard to read social CUES when intoxicated
What are the 3 categories of domestic violence offenders?
1) psychopathic
2) overcontrolled
3) borderline
What are 4 societal interventions to REDUCE aggression?
1) improve quality of life
2) better control ACCESS to weapons
3) PUNISH aggression more effectively
4) better address MEDIA violence
What are 3 interpersonal approaches to REDUCE aggression?
1) improve parental CARE
2) strengthen social CONNECTIONS
3) promote EMPATHY
What are 2 individual approaches to REDUCE aggression?
1) improve self-awareness/self-control
2) reduce hostile attribution BIAS
3) promote STABLE bases of self-worth/competence
