Unit 2 Flashcards
(21 cards)
Some social psychologists define aggression :
1) The intent and attempt to harm another individual Physically/socially or to destroy an object
Passive-aggressive behaviours”
1) Hostile behaviors that don’t directly inflict physical harm
2) Example: Refusing to speak to someone who you hold a grudge against
3) These behaviours are interpreted as aggressive in intent (even though behaviour is passive and indirect
Reactive-impulsive aggression
1) Spontaneous aggression, in response to provocation, frustration, or perceived threat (also referred to as ‘reactive aggression’ or ‘hostile aggression’
Controlled-instrumental aggression
1) Type of aggression that is planned and is used to accomplish a specific purpose
2) These types of aggression are distinguished by their goals, or rewards offered to perpetrator
Hostile aggression:
1) Occurs in response to anger-induced conditions Aggressor’s goal is to make a victim suffer
Examples of hostile aggression:
1) Revenge
2) One’s own failure
3) Real or perceived insults
4) Road rage incidents
Occurs in response to anger-induced conditions Aggressor’s goal is to make a victim suffer
Examples of instrumental aggression:
1) Robbery
2) Burglary
3) Hijacking
4) White-collar and political crimes
More purposeful and goal orientated- Begins with competition or desire for some object/status possessed by another person
Violence requires 4 definitional components:
1) Non-essential: Behaviour is not essential and can be obtained without violence
2)Unwanted: Behaviour/acts of the perpetrator are not wanted by the victims
3)Harmful: Actions resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, or deprivation
4)Intentional: Malicious behaviour purposefully designed to cause harm or damage
Ethological viewpoints
1) The study of animal behaviour in relation to the animal’s natural habitat
2) Compares that behaviour to human behaviour
Territoriality
1) The tendency to attack violators of one’s personal space
Ritualized aggression
The symbolic display of aggressive intentions or strength without actual physical combat or conflict
Evolutionary psychology
1) The study of the evolution of behaviour using the principles of natural selection
2) It argues that human evolutionary history provides the fundamental framework for understanding human cognition and behaviour
Frustration-aggression hypothesis
1) Aggression is a direct result of frustration
2) People who are frustrated, threatened, or annoyed will behave aggressively- Since aggression is natural and almost an automatic response to frustrating circumstances
Weapons effect
1) Suggestion that the mere presence of a weapon leads a witness or victim to concentrate on the weapon itself rather than other features of the crime
2) Presence of aggressive stimuli in the external environment (or internal environment represented by thoughts) increases probability of aggressive responses
Cognitive-neoassociation theory
1) A revised theory of the frustration-aggression hypothesis proposed by Leonard Berkowitz which emphasized the importance of cognitive factors and negative effects. It operates in the following manner:
During the early stages
1) An aversive event produces a negative affect (discomfort)
2) This negative affect may be due to physical pain or psychological discomfort
3) Physical pain as an aversive circumstance is clear but psychological discomfort needs further elaboration
These cognitions mediate and evaluate a proper course of action Inclined people would:
1) Make causal attributions about the unpleasant experience
2) Think about the nature of their feelings
3) Try to control their feelings and actions
4) What began as an angry reaction to someone’s critical comments develops into a careful consideration of their interests or a conclusion that they are not worth being concerned about
Excitation transfer theory
1) Theory explaining how physiological arousal can generalize from one situation to another and is based on the assumption that physiological arousal (however produced) diminishes slowly over time
Rumination
The self-focused attention on one’s own thoughts and feelings that (if excessive) can lead to aggression against others (continuously thinking about the incident long after it has passed)
Displaced aggression theory”
1) The theory that some aggression is directed at the target as a replacement for the individual who is the real source of provocation
2) Aggression is displaced when the target is innocent of any wrongdoing- Simply in the wrong place at the wrong time
Ruminative thoughts :
1) Can harbor and maintain angry feelings over a period distant from the initial provocation
2) Can promote subsequent (consecutive) aggression against someone mildly annoying but not highly deserving of an aggressive attack
