Week 5; Aggression Flashcards
Aggression
Physical or verbal behaviour intended to physically or psychologically hurt someone
Hostile Aggression
-Hot,” impulsive behavior that is motivated by a desire to hurt someone
- Performed as an end in itself
Instrumental Aggression
“Cold,” premeditated behavior used as a means to some other end
Darwin’s Aggression Instinct Theory
-All behaviours are adapted from evolution and for survival
- The most aggressive species won battles for mates and food and thus ensured survival
Freud’s Instinct Aggression Theory
-A redirecting towards others of a fundamental death drive Thanatos
- Claimed that the desire to die was an instinct within humans and thus provoked them to act aggressively
Lorenz’s Instinctual Aggression Theory
Aggression is adaptive and has a number of functions i.e. warding off predators
Genetic Differences
- Interbreeding tends to produce more aggressive breeds
Neural and Biochemical Factors
The impact on various neurotransmitters can provoke aggressive behaviours
Testosterone on Aggression
- Moderate correlation with aggression
- Men possesses more testosterone and thus commit more aggression
- May increase aggression as it decreases the activity of brain circuits that control impulses
- Other studies show testosterone increases before athletic games and remains high for winners while dropping for losers
Serotonin and Aggression
-Altered levels associated with impulsive behaviour
- Alterations lead to an increase in amygdala response to threat and interferes with prefrontal cortex’s control over aggressive impulses
MAOA Gene and Aggression
- Involved in impulsive behaviours as it controls the amount of MAO in the body
MAO
An enzyme that regulates the activity of neurotransmitters i.e. serotonin and norepinephrine
Education and Aggression
-Reading facilitates a much more complex understanding of the world and produces a wider collective empathy
- Greater education has enabled people to solve problems with methods other than violence
Social Factors Influencing Aggression
- Structural factors i.e. the extent to which criminals are brought to justice and the prevalence of inequality and poverty
Culture of Honour
- In some cultures i.e. southern US states
- Boys and men learn that it is important to protect their reputations through physical aggression
Social Rejection and Aggression
-Akin to a death warrant in evolutionary history so activates defence mechanisms in those we deem responsible
- Ostracisation is a factor in school shootings
Heat and aggression
-More crime in summer and in hotter reasons
- Triggers a stress response i.e. cortisol and adrenaline which increases irritability and aggression
Negative Emotion and Aggression
- Any situation that induces negative emotion i,e, fear, frustration, pain can manifest itself in physical violence
- Emotional states can interrupt the functioning of brain regions involved in controlling behaviour
Crowding and Aggression
-Increased population density has increased levels of violent crime i.e. dense urban areas
Television an Aggression
- Lots of correlational findings as television exposes individuals to violence and aggression
Television on Aggressive Thinking
- Habituation and desensitisation
Behaviour
Arousal; Could energise other behaviours by acting as a stimulus
- Disinhibits deviant behaviour
- Imitation
Pornography
- Alters perception of reality
- Leads to increased violence against women
Group Polarisation
- Aggression may increase in groups i.e. when individuals with moderate/ weak prejudicial attitudes in relation to another group interact with that group in the presence of a larger group on their own side i.e. after a football match
- Groups can also lead to increased anonymity so people feel less responsible and more concealed when acting aggressively
Dollard’s Frustration- Aggression Theory 1939
- Aggression is always a consequence of frustration and frustration always leads to some form of aggression
- Frustration always leads either to an instigation to aggress or withdrawal but as humans are so goal orientated, there is a consistent frustration when goals aren’t met
Outward Aggression
- Shouting, swearing, throwing, etc.
-Can be direct or displaced
Inward Aggression
- Negative self talk or depression
Direct Aggression
Directed towards the source of frustration i.e. kicking a broken vending machine
Indirect Aggression
Directed towards an independent source i.e. a room mate
Burnstein and Phillip
Frustration doesn’t always manifest in aggression but sometimes in irritation i.e. if a class is constantly interrupted by someone with a hearing aid, teacher may not react aggressively
Berkowitz’s Modification to Frustration/Aggression Theory
- Anger is bottled up and a cue releases all aggression
- i.e. if an individual has an extremely frustrating day e.g. are stuck in traffic, has a large queue to receive a coffee, gets wet in the rain, has their book already taken out in the library etc, if they are on a night out and someone sneers at them, then all of their anger may be released
Bandura’s Modification to Frustration- Aggression Theory
-Social learning theory
- An individual mimics the situation or behaviour of those around them
-i.e. child who behaved more aggressively after watching the aggressive behaviour towards the momo doll
Social Dilemmas
Pursuing one’s self interest to the collective detriment of one’s community or society
Prisoner’s Dilemma
- Type of mixed motive game in which participants interact with one another in a interdependent situation
- i.e. give both suspects the offer that if they confess, the police will use the evidence to convict the partner and the one who confesses will get off free
- The unridled pursuit of self interest can be negative to both sides
The Tragedy of the Commons
- If all restrain, all benefit. If all overharvest, all eventually will suffer
- If every farmer puts one cow on the field, the land will thrive and so will the cows but if everyone puts wo cows on the field, the land will be destroyed
Non Zero Sum Games
Games in which the sum of individuals outcomes don’t have to equal, both can win and both can lose
