Aggression

1
Aggression
2
The Violent Crime Clock
Based on Federal Bureau of Investigations
statistics
3
What Is Aggression?

• By 1983, there were more than 250 different
  definitions of aggression.
• Aggression is defined as physical or verbal
  behavior that is intended to harm another
  individual
• Aggressive behavior can come in many different
  forms.

4
Types of Aggression

• Instrumental Aggression Harm is inflicted as a
  means to a desired end.
• Hostile Aggression Aggression driven by anger
  and performed as an end in itself
• Are these distinct categories or endpoints on a
  continuum?

5
Is Aggression Innate? Instinct Theories

• Freud We have a death instinct.
• Lorenz Aggression is an innate, instinctual
  motivation.
• Problem with instinct theories is their reliance
  on circular reasoning.

6
Influences on Aggression

• Neural influences
• Can stimulate areas in the brain that will
  increase rage in animals
• Genetic influences
• Can breed docile animals and aggressive animals
  to create docile or aggressive offspring
• Biochemical influences
• Aggression influenced by testosterone
• Strong positive correlation between testosterone
  levels and aggression.
• correlation is not causation

7
The Role of Serotonin

• The neurotransmitter serotonin appears to
  restrain impulsive acts of aggression.
• Low levels of serotonin associated with high
  levels of aggression.
• Boosting serotonin can dampen aggressiveness.
• But is the lack of serotonin an innate cause of
  aggression?

8
Aggression as a Response to Frustration

• Frustration-aggression hypothesis
• Frustration always elicits the motive to aggress.
• All aggression is caused by frustration.
• Displacement
• Redirect aggression to a target other than source
  of frustration (usually safer or socially
  acceptable)

9
Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis Revised
(Berkowitz, 1989)

• Frustration is but one of many unpleasant
  experiences that can lead to aggression by
  creating negative, uncomfortable feelings.
• It is the negative feelings, not frustration
  itself, that can trigger aggression.
• Negative feelings can also result from a wide
  variety of noxious stimuli (pain, heat, being
  attacked by another).

10
Comparing ourselves to others

• Sometimes can become more frustrated when we
  compare ourselves to others
• Relative Deprivation perception that you are
  worse off than those you compare yourself to

11
Social Learning Theory

• Behavior is also learned through the observations
  of others.
• Bandura et al.s (1961) bobo doll study.
• Aggression most likely to increase if models are
  rewarded and not punished for their aggressive
  behaviors.

12
Social Learning Theory (cont.)

• By watching aggressive models, people
• Learn specific aggressive behaviors.
• Develop more positive attitudes and beliefs about
  aggression in general.
• Construct aggressive scripts.
• Nonaggressive models decrease aggressive behavior.