Title: Chapter 9 Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
1Chapter 9 - Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
- Defining Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
- Is Aggression Innate or Learned?
- Inner Causes of Aggression
- Interpersonal Causes of Aggression
- External Causes of Aggression
- Self and Culture
- Other Antisocial Behavior
2Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
- Saddam Hussein
- He was aggressive was he antisocial?
- How can we understand aggressive behavior of
powerful individuals or small groups of cruel
people?
3Tradeoffs - Is Military Action an EffectiveWay
to Fight Terrorism
- Many countries resort to military action to fight
terrorism - Effective in short-term, but in long-term creates
a new pool of terrorist recruits
4Defining Aggression
- Aggression
- An intentional behavior
- Intent is to harm
- The victim wants to avoid harm
- Violence
- Aggression, with the goal of extreme physical harm
5Types of Aggression
- Hostile aggression
- Hot, impulsive
- Instrumental aggression
- Cold, premeditated
- Passive aggression
- Active aggression
6Defining Antisocial Behavior
- Antisocial Behavior
- Behavior that either damages interpersonal
relationships or is culturally undesirable. - Aggression may be social or antisocial
- Behaviors in addition to aggression may be
antisocial
7Aggression and Antisocial Behavior
- Aggression is universal
- Cultural rules restrain aggression
- Aggression aids social animals
- Culture offers nonviolent ways of resolving
conflicts and problems
8Aggression
- Rules of conduct for war
- Geneva Convention
- Reciprocity
- Rules governing self-defense
- Acceptable only if defender uses comparable force
9Is Aggression Innate or Learned?
10Instinct Theories of Aggression
- Freud proposed human motivational forces are
based on instinct - Sex life giving instinct Eros
- Aggression death instinct - Thanatos
11Learning Theories of Aggression
- Aggression is a learned behavior
- Modeling
- Bandura and colleagues (1961, 1963)
- Children who watched the aggressive model had the
highest level of aggression - If a model acts aggressively, inhibitions against
aggression can be overcome
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13Nature and Nurture
- Cultural socialization and learning can increase
or decrease innate aggressive impulses and
aggressive behaviors - Both learning and instinct are relevant
14Inner Causes of Aggression
- Frustration-aggression hypothesis (1939)
- The occurrence of aggressive behavior always
presupposes the existence of frustration - Existence of frustration always leads to some
form of aggression
15Frustration
- Influence on degree of frustration
- Interference when closer to the goal - greater
frustration - You can have aggression without frustration,
frustration without aggression, but aggression is
increased by frustration
16Inner Causes of Aggression
- Unpleasant moods increase aggression
- Bad mood is not necessary for aggression
- Anger does not directly or inevitably cause
aggression - If one believes aggression will dissipate anger,
will behave more aggressively - Excitation transfer may increase aggression
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18Hostile Cognitive Biases
- Hostile attribution bias
- Perceive ambiguous actions by others as
aggressive - Hostile perception bias
- Perceive social interactions as being aggressive
- Hostile expectation bias
- Assume people will react to potential conflicts
with aggression
19Hostile Cognitive Biases
- Aggressive people have inner biases that make
them - Expect others to react aggressively
- View ambiguous acts as aggressive
- Assume others act purposefully when they hurt or
offend them
20Is Bad Stronger Than Good? The Magnitude Gap
- Victim loses more than the perpetrator gains
- Aggression is not a neutral exchange
- It lowers the total value available
- Murder, theft, sex crimes
21Age and Aggression
- 25 of toddler interactions in day-care settings
involve physical aggression - Limited alternatives for solving conflict
22Gender and Aggression
- When under stress
- Males fight or flight syndrome
- Females tend and befriend syndrome
- In all known societies men just over age of
puberty commit most violent crimes and acts - Females exhibit more relational aggression
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24Interpersonal Causes of Aggression
25Selfishness and Influence
- Aggression
- Can be a means to resolve social disputes
- Can be a form of social influence
- Factors that encourage use of aggression
- More you want the reward
- Believe you will be successful
- Unconcerned with morality or risk
26Selfishness and Influence
- Aggression
- Can be a means to resolve social disputes
- Can be a form of social influence
- Factors that encourage use of aggression
- More you want the reward
- Believe you will be successful
- Unconcerned with morality or risk
27The Social Side of Sex - Sexual Aggression
- People use aggression and force to get sex from
others - Sexual coercion is often defined broadly
- Consequences for victim is dependent on
definition of rape - Profile of sexually coercive men differs from
traditional stereotypes
28Domestic and Relationship Violence
- Domestic violence
- Occurs within the home, between people who have a
close relationship - Aggression is highest between siblings
- Surgeon General declared domestic violence the
number one health risk in US (1984)
29Domestic and Relationship Violence
- Domestic violence occurs all over the world
- It is leading cause of injuries to women 15-44
- Women attack relationship partners slightly more
than men do, but without as much harm - Physically weaker family members are at greatest
risk
30Displaced Aggression
- Displaced aggression
- Kicking the dog effect
- Triggered displaced aggression
- Minor triggering event increases aggression in
angered participants
31External Causes of Aggression
- Weapons effect
- Mere presence of weapon increases aggressive
behavior - Mass Media
- Violent media exposure increases aggression
- Huesmann, et al. (2003)
32Teach Me a Lesson
PLAYVIDEO
33External Causes of Aggression
- Unpleasant Environments
- Hot temperatures are associated with aggression
and violence - Effects of global warming
- Loud noises, foul odors, air pollution, and
crowding can increase aggression
34External Causes of Aggression
- Chemical Influences
- Testosterone
- Linked to increased aggression
- Serotonin
- Low levels linked to aggression
- Alcohol
- Linked to increased aggression
35Alcohol and Aggression
- How alcohol influences aggression
- Reduces inhibitions
- Narrowing effect on attention
- Decreases self-awareness
- Disrupts executive function
36Food for Thought - Is There a Link Between Diet
and Violence?
- Nutrition is linked to aggression and violence
- Junk food can increase violence
- Vitamin supplements reduces antisocial behavior
37Self and Culture
38Norms and Values
- Running amok and aggression
- Influence of culture
- Cultures can promote violence
- People may believe aggression is uncontrollable,
but they may be mistaken
39Self-Control
- Poor self-control
- Is an important cause of crime
- Is a predictor of violent crimes
40Wounded Pride
- Violent individuals
- Think they are better than other people
- Have grandiose or inflated opinions of their
worth
41Wounded Pride
- Violent individuals typically have the trait of
narcissism - Thinking oneself special
- Feeling entitled to preferential treatment
- Willing to exploit others
- Low empathy
- Grandiose fantasies
42Wounded Pride
- Narcissistic Personality Inventory
- High scores blow to ego aggression
- Most aggression is the result of some type of
provocation - Other factors increase or decrease effect of
wounded pride
43Culture of Honor
- Southern US has culture of honor
- Violent response to threats to ones honor
- Higher levels of violence
- Humiliation
- Primary cause of violence and aggression in
cultures of honor - May be an important cause of terrorism
44Other Antisocial Behavior
- Cheating
- Self-control is important predictor of cheating
- Stealing
- People in deindividuated state more likely to
steal - Diener et al. (1976)
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46Other Antisocial Behavior
- Littering
- When it seems everybody else is littering, people
are more likely to litter too - Males litter more than females
- Young people litter more than older people
47Norms
- Injunctive norms
- Specify what most approve or disapprove of
- Can be effective in reducing litter
- Descriptive norms
- Specify what most people do
- Have not been effective in reducing litter
48What Makes Us Human?
- In some ways humans are more aggressive than
other animals - Only humans kill for ideas
- Human cultures unique in attempts to restrain
aggression - Culture creates new opportunities for antisocial
behavior