Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven

• Aggression and Violence

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Defining Aggression

• Aggression is any form of behavior that is
  intended to injure someone physically or
  psychologically
• hostile aggression impulsive
• instrumental aggression purposeful
• relational aggression damage to relationships

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Concept Review
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Theories of Aggression

• General Aggression Model (GAM)
• aggressive thoughts
• aggressive feelings
• physiological arousal
• Incorporates elements of other popular theories
  of aggression

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Concept Review
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Frustration and Aggression

• Argued that aggression was always a consequence
  of frustration
• Frustration broadly defined as the blocking of
  efforts to obtain a goal
• Frustration-aggression hypothesis
• frustration always leads to some form of
  aggression
• frustration is the only cause of aggression

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Frustration and Aggression Revisited

• Original frustration-aggression hypothesis was
  too simplistic
• for example, anger can produce aggression as
  readily as frustration can
• Revised frustration-aggression hypothesis
• frustration sometimes causes aggression
• aggression is sometimes caused by frustration

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Displaced Aggression and Catharsis

• Displaced aggression
• aggression is directed toward something other
  than the source of frustration
• Catharsis
• getting aggression out of ones system
• doesnt work
• opportunities for aggression usually heighten
  subsequent aggression

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Excitation Transfer

• Unrelated physiological arousal can be linked to
  anger-related thoughts and cognitions
• This can increase anger-related aggression

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Social Learning Theory

• Humans learn many kinds of responses simply by
  observing others
• aggressive responses can be learned through the
  same process
• Bobo doll experiments are an example

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Cognitive Neoassociation Model

• Unpleasant event arouses negative emotion
• Negative emotion triggers two schemas
• tendency to fight
• tendency toward flight
• These schemas activate anger and fear
• cues in the environment guide behavior toward one
  set of responses or the other

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Nice GAMs

• The General Aggression Model incorporates aspects
  of frustration/aggression, excitation transfer,
  social learning, cognitive neoassociation

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Concept Review
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Aggression Individual Differences

• Narcissists often display threatened egotism
• hostility and aggression in response to being
  criticized
• Trait aggressiveness
• some people are more likely than others to
  respond to provocation with aggression

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Aggression and Alcohol

• As a depressant, alcohol reduces normal
  inhibitions against aggression
• Alcohol consumption causes changes in thought,
  perception, and interpretation
• this can have indirect effects on aggression
• Alcohol myopia refers to a narrowing of attention
  and reduction in cognitive capacity when
  intoxicated

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Social Context of Aggression

• Culture and aggression
• there are cultural differences in levels of
  aggressive behavior, as typically measured by
  rates of homicide or other violent crime
• the United States, for example, often has the
  highest rate of homicide among industrialized
  nations
• culture of honor may explain regional
  differences in aggressive behavior

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Aggression on the Playground

• Anger emerges as a distinct emotional response
  within the first six months of life
• As children age, aggressive responses follow a
  developmental sequence

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Aggression in Close Relationships

• Batterers
• family-only aggressors are least violent
• dysphoric/borderline aggressors sometimes engage
  in severe physical abuse
• generally violent/antisocial aggressors are
  indiscriminate in their violent acts, often
  victimizing an available target (such as a family
  member)

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Aggression in Groups

• Mob violence may be due to
• deindividuation
• conformity pressure
• Mob violence may be organized (e.g., the Klan) or
  disorganized (e.g., a riot)

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Media Effects on Aggression TV

• Television violence
• longitudinal studies reveal that aggressive
  adults had watched more violence on television as
  children and had identified more closely with
  aggressive characters then did less-aggressive
  adults

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Media Effects on Aggression Games

• Violent video games
• some researchers have concluded that the
  available evidence linking game playing and
  aggression is marred by methodological flaws that
  limit strong conclusions
• other researchers have found small but
  significant effects relating game playing to
  increased aggression

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Media Effects on Aggression Pornography

• Some definitions
• erotica is sexually explicit, nonviolent
• degrading pornography debases people, usually
  women
• violent pornography depicts hostile sexual
  activity
• Erotica has few if any negative effects
• Conclusions regarding the other forms are less
  clear

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Controlling Aggression and Violence

• Controlling anger
• cognitive-relaxation coping skills training and
  cognitive restructuring contribute to this
  process
• Teaching alternatives to aggression
• communication and empathy are key
• Reducing aversive environments
• minimizing physical discomfort is one approach