Theories of Aggression

Theories of Aggression: Biological

Instinct theory and evolutionary psychology

innate, unlearned behavior pattern exhibited by all members of a species
buss, 2004 argues that aggression is genetically programmed into men to enable them to perpetuate their genes
Neural influences
abnormal brains can contribute to abnormally aggressive behavior
Amygdala- brain structure associated with aggressive behaviors
Biochemical influences
Alcohol
depresses social inhibitions
testosterone
low serotonin

Theories of Aggression: Behavioral

Frustration-aggression theory
aggression as a response to frustration, frustration triggers a readiness to aggress
frustration

* blocking of goal-directed behavior

example Barker, Dembo, and Lewin (1941)
kept a group of children waiting in a room filled with toys that were not within their reach
when they finally got to play with them, they played much more destructively than did the control group
problem with this theory: explains the hostile aggression, not instrumental aggression
Relative deprivation
perception that one is less well off than others with whom one compares oneself explains why happiness tends to be lower and crime rates higher in communities and nations with large income inequality

Theories of Aggression: Cognitive

Aggression as Learned Social Behavior
rewards of aggression
through experience and by observing others being rewarded we learn that aggression often pays
e. operant conditioning
Observational Learning
social learning theory
we learn social behavior by observing and imitating
Family* Culture

Influences on Aggression

Influences on Aggression: Biological

Physical pain
Berkowitz(1983, 1988) showed that students who had their arms immersed in ice water until they felt pain showed a sharp increase in their likelihood of aggressing
Other bodily discomforts
heat, humidity, air pollution, offensive odors* Griffitt and Veitch (1971) study manipulated the temperature of a room while students were taking a test
results
self-ratings showed an increase in aggression and hostility towards a stranger they were asked to rate when in the hot room

Arousal

a given state of bodily arousal feeds one emotion or another depending on how the person interprets and labels the arousal
Schacter and Singers two factor theory of emotion study

Influences on Aggression: Social

Pornography and Sexual Violence
studies confirm that exposure to pornography increase acceptance of the rape myth * repeated exposure to erotic films featuring quick, uncommitted sex also tends to
decrease attraction for one’s partner
increase acceptance of extramarital sec and of women’s sexual submission to man
Increase men perceiving women in sexual terms
Television
frequent result of correlating children’s TV viewing with aggressiveness is the more violent the content the more aggressive the child
why
arousal levels
desensitization to violence
imitation
caveat
correlational research it may be that violent individuals
Video Games
there has been a steady increase in the violence portrayed in video games
similar to television, video games may
increase arousal
increases aggressive thinking increases aggressive feelings
increases aggressive behaviors
decreases pro social behaviors
similar caveat to television

Reducing Aggression

Catharsis Theory: Freud Psychoanalytic theory
more than just “blowing off steam” or “getting it out of your system”
aggression can be reduced by
performing an aggressive act
watching others engage in aggressive behavior
engaging in fantasy aggression
many studies suggest that this actually increases aggression rather than decreasing it
A Social Learning Approach
controlling aggression by counteracting the factors that provoke it
reducing aversive stimulation
rewarding no aggression
modeling nonaggression
afflicting reactions incompatible with aggression