Aggression- Frustration-aggression hypothesis Flashcards
What does Dollard et al argue?
All aggression is the result of frustration and that frustration will always lead to some form of aggression
When does aggression/frustration occur?
When a psychological drive to achieve a goal is obstructed in some way
Define catharsis
Emotional release of aggressive thoughts
Define displacement
Transferring feelings from the source of frustration onto a substitute target
What does frustration lead to an arousal of?
-An aggressive drive
-Leads to aggressive behaviour/ urges
When does frustration increase?
When a motivation to achieve a goal is very strong, when we expect gratification and when there is nothing we can do about it
Define unjustified aggression
Behaviour that occurs for no apparent reasons
Define justified aggression
Behaviour that occurs due to an apparent reason
n Give an example of justified situations that cause frustration.
Insulting a person and then them shoving you 10 minutes later
A bus not stopping and displaying an ‘out of service’ sign (Pastore)
Give an example of an unjustified situations that cause frustration
Being hurt by somebody you don’t know
A bus not stopping without an explanation
Is unjustified or justified aggression more likely to cause frustration?
Unjustified
Where does catharsis come from?
Psychodynamic- Freud
(element of defence mechanisms)
Why is frustration usually displaced?
-Often impossible/inappropriate to behave aggressively towards the source of frustration (aggression is inhibited)
-Displaced onto someone/something else
-In experience to experience catharsis a scapegoat needs to be found
What does Berkowitz argue?
-Frustration does not always lead to aggression
-Frustration is an unpleasant experience which can create a negative effect
-Unanticipated interference is more likely to provoke aggression as it is more unpleasant
Why does Dollard argue that aggression is not always expressed directly against the source of frustration of frustration?
-The cause may be abstract such as the economic situation
-Cause may be too powerful and we risk punishment by aggressing against it
-The cause may be unavaliable at the time
How did Berkowitz investigate his revised theory?
-Participants were again given the opportunity to shock a confederate who had previously angered them.
-One with an aggressive cue, a gun; one with a non-aggressive cue, a badminton racket; and one with no cue at all
-Participants who were in the presence of the aggressive cue gave higher levels of shocks than the other two groups. The practical applications of this research shed new light on the gun control debate in America. If the presence of guns is more likely to result in aggression, then this ‘weapons effect’ could have far-reaching implications for gun laws
Give an evaluation point (sports violence)
P- Priks found supporting evidence for the frustration-aggression hypothesis in a study of violent behaviour among Swedish football fans
E- He recorded when teams changed positions in the league and how many objects were thrown onto the pitch as a result, this was used as a measure of aggression
E- If the team performed worse than expected, more things were thrown onto the pitch, a 1 position drop a 5% increase in violence, supporters were also more likely to fight with the opposition
L- findings suggest supporters become more aggressive when expectations of a good performance don’t go their way.
Counter-cultural bias- only studied in Sweedon so cannot be generalised to other countries
Can an evaluation Point (Not all aggression arises from frustration)
P- Not all aggression arises from frustration
E- Berkowitz argues that frustration is just one of the feelings that can lead to unpleasant experiences which can create a negative effect
E- Investigated this theory by carrying out a lab experiment where participants were given the opportunity to shock a Confederate that had previously angered them
Participants who were in the presence of the aggressive cue tended to give higher voltage shocks
L- Links to the gun control debate in America, if the presence of guns is more likely to result in aggression why are they so easily accessible, this ‘weapons effect have far-reaching implications
Counter- However lab experiments lack ecological value
Give an evaluation point ( reductionist)
P Reductionsit
E- The frustration aggression hypothesis does not take into account other influences in aggression such as biological
E- For example, serotonin inhibits the amygdala which controls emotional responses such as anger and fear but decreased levels of serotonin remove the inhibitory effect
Testosterone regulates social behaviour and increased levels of these hormones are related to increased levels of aggression.
L- However this argument does not take into account individual differences, everybody will have different levels of these hormones which will impact how quickly/ easily people will become angry/ frustrated or if they react at all (nomothetic approach)
Give an evaluation point (Aggression isn’t always cathartic)
P-Bushman (2002) found that particpnats who vented their anger out by repeatdly punching a punch bag actually became more aggressive rather than less
E-Found that doing nothing was more effective at reducing anger
E-Weakness because the outcome of this study is very different from that predicted by the frustration-aggression hpothesis, leads to questions surrounding the valdity of the main assumption
