Kevin Young Chapter 1

Question 1

What is aggression defined as?

Answer 1

Verbal or physical actions grounded in an intent to dominate, control, or do harm to another person

Question 2

What is violence defined as?

Answer 2

The use of excessive physical force, which causes or has the potential to cause harm and destruction.

Question 3

What is the instinct theory on violence?

Answer 3

Instinct theories believe that because our pre-human ancestors were naturally aggressive, modern humans share this same trait and lack a well developed mechanism for inhibition of aggression.

Question 4

What are some of the weaknesses of instinct theory?

Answer 4

CLearly reductionistic, unable to address the many forms that violence can take and the fact that aggressive behaviour varies between individuals. Also doesn’t take into account other forms of violence such as violence against the self or violence motivated by social roots.

Question 5

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 5

3 arguments:

1) Aggression is always a result of frustration
2) Frustration always leads to aggression
3) there is an inclination towards aggression when the aggressive act is disallowed, but this decreases once an object or person is confronted.

Question 6

What is the definition of frustration according to the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Answer 6

Interference with the occurence of an instigated goal-response at its proper time in the behaviour sequence.

Question 7

What is the hostile and instrumental aggression approach?

Answer 7

Instrumental aggression: Does not pursue the goal of personal hurt, rather it aims to achieve an external or unrelated goal (rational and planned)
Hostile aggression: To inflict damage for the express purpose of causing harm.

Question 8

What are some of the criticisms of the instrumental hostile aggression approach?

Answer 8

Overly simplistic, roles could be reversed in either scenario.

Question 9

What is catharsis theory?

Answer 9

Humans accumulate frustrations in daily life that can potentially lead to aggressive behaviour, but these can be discharged or vented by participating in tension-relieving activities or by watching others participate in said activities.

Question 10

What are some criticisms of catharsis theory?

Answer 10

Sport may actually enhance rather than reduce aggressive drives. Also fails to explain violence committed by athletes outside of the sports arena.

Question 11

What is reversal theory?

Answer 11

Explains why athletes and/or spectators may conform to rule expectations in one context, but revert to aggression and violence in others.

Question 12

What are Kerr’s 4 meta motivational states (reversal theory)

Answer 12

11) Telic-paratelic
2) Conformity-negativism
3) Mastery-sympathy
4) Autic-alloic

Question 13

Which types of meta-motivational states do aggressors tend to spend more time in according to Kerr?

Answer 13

Paratelic (risk taking)
Negativism (norm violating)
Mastery (dominance)
Autic (self concerned)

Question 14

What is the crucual point in Kerr’s meta-motivational states?

Answer 14

How these states combine with arousal and hedonic tone (high hedonic tone = relaxed)

Question 15

What are some of the criticisms of reversal theory?

Answer 15

Difficult to empirically assess the mental state of a fan or athlete, questions regarding the mutual exclusivity of each trait, fails to take into account rational choices one may make based on cost and reward. Doesn’t touch on structural issues.

Question 16

What is Bandura’s social learning theory?

Answer 16

Aggression and violence are learned through observation and imitation and depend upon the degree to which one emulates the behaviour of the role model. Aggressors use violent behaviour if it is perceived to lead to positive self-evaluative reactions.

Question 17

What are some criticisms of social learning theory?

Answer 17

Approach underestimates people’s choice making abilities, behaviour can also be unlearned.

Question 18

What is the techniques of neutralisation approach?

Answer 18

Focuses less on social causes of behaviour and more on the ways in which structural conditions are translated into action by individuals. Focus on micro-level relations, between the actor and those who require justifications for the act.

Question 19

What are some of these techniques of neutralisation?

Answer 19

1) Denying responsibility
2) Injury or victimisation
3) Condemning the condemners
4) Appealing to higher loyalties.

Question 20

How has the techniques of neutralisation approach been applied to sport research?

Answer 20

helpful to expain justificatory strategies used by injured athletes to allow them to accept and return to play, and by persons involved in abusive practices in animal sports.

Question 21

What are the two categories we deal with when looking at violent subcultures?

Answer 21

1) Violent societal subculture hypothesis: early ethnographic work which shows how youth gangs operationalize situation specific behaviours such as intimidation and fighting
2) Violent occupational subculture hypothesis- persons occupying work settings develop unique value systems that guide their behaviour while in that setting.

Question 22

What is figurational (process) sociology?

Answer 22

Attempts to bridge the micro-macro divide and view human behaviour as sets of actions in broad interconnected webs of relationships between actors.

Question 23

What are Elias’ ideas on the history of manners?

Answer 23

Western societies have become less exciting social environments- more emphasis placed on restraint of aggression. Individuals may pursue a wide range of activities that elicit exciting significance in highly controlled contexts of interaction.

Question 24

What is victimology?

Answer 24

Focuses more on those who have been harmed in conflict or violence. People who participate in potentially dangerous institutional settings such as sport hold inherent rights to safety and personal welfare, respect and key information. Shifts from cause of violence to the suffering and treatment in social institutions.

Question 25

What is the sports ethic perspective?

Answer 25

Athletes in sports settings devewlop interpretive frames and use these frames to gauge group commitment and sport commitment.

Question 26

How is athlete behaviour on a bell curve according to sports ethics perspective?

Answer 26

Everyday behaviour is at the top of the curve, with any deviance in the tails of the curves

Question 27

What is positive deviance?

Answer 27

Athlete behaviours that pursue the principles of sport ethic to an unhealthy extent- dangerous weight reduction, appearance sports

Question 28

What is negative deviance?

Answer 28

When athlete behaviours reject the importance of sport ethic- disobeying coaches instructions etc.

Question 29

What are some of the critiques of sport ethics perspective?

Answer 29

Less suited to explain athlete behaviour at the recreational or amateur level. Does not explain violent acts by non-violent athletes in the context of sport or player violence that occurs away from the game.

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 30

What have sociologists of sport restricted their definitions of violence to (2 items)

Answer 30

Payer violence- violence among athletes

Crowd violence_ violence among fans

Question 31

What other categories are included in sport violence?

Answer 31

Athletes being harrassed and stalked away from the game, hazing by older teammates, animals being treated inhumanely, inhumane labour practices in prodution of merchandise, environmental damange.

Question 32

How does Coakley define aggression in sports terms?

Answer 32

Aggression originates in some combination of 1) Frustration coupled with anger, opportunities, stimulus cues, and social support

2) Strategies used by athletes and encouraged by peers, parents, coaches, spectators, and sponsors
3) Definitions of masculinity emphasizing violence as a basis for becoming a man and superior to women.

Question 33

How does the WHO define violence?

Answer 33

The intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself or another person, or against a group or community, that either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment or deprivation.

Question 34

What is sports related violence defined as?

Answer 34

1) Direct acts of physical violence contained within or outside the rules of the game that result in injury to persons, animals, or property
2) Harmful or potentially harmful acts conducted in the context of sport that threaten or produce injury or that violate human justices and civil liberties.