Week 5; Aggression Flashcards
Aggression
Physical or verbal behaviour intended to physically or psychologically hurt someone
Hostile Aggression
-Hot,” impulsive behavior that is motivated by a desire to hurt someone
- Performed as an end in itself
Instrumental Aggression
“Cold,” premeditated behavior used as a means to some other end
Darwin’s Aggression Instinct Theory
-All behaviours are adapted from evolution and for survival
- The most aggressive species won battles for mates and food and thus ensured survival
Freud’s Instinct Aggression Theory
-A redirecting towards others of a fundamental death drive Thanatos
- Claimed that the desire to die was an instinct within humans and thus provoked them to act aggressively
Lorenz’s Instinctual Aggression Theory
Aggression is adaptive and has a number of functions i.e. warding off predators
Genetic Differences
- Interbreeding tends to produce more aggressive breeds
Neural and Biochemical Factors
The impact on various neurotransmitters can provoke aggressive behaviours
Testosterone on Aggression
- Moderate correlation with aggression
- Men possesses more testosterone and thus commit more aggression
- May increase aggression as it decreases the activity of brain circuits that control impulses
- Other studies show testosterone increases before athletic games and remains high for winners while dropping for losers
Serotonin and Aggression
-Altered levels associated with impulsive behaviour
- Alterations lead to an increase in amygdala response to threat and interferes with prefrontal cortex’s control over aggressive impulses
MAOA Gene and Aggression
- Involved in impulsive behaviours as it controls the amount of MAO in the body
MAO
An enzyme that regulates the activity of neurotransmitters i.e. serotonin and norepinephrine
Education and Aggression
-Reading facilitates a much more complex understanding of the world and produces a wider collective empathy
- Greater education has enabled people to solve problems with methods other than violence
Social Factors Influencing Aggression
- Structural factors i.e. the extent to which criminals are brought to justice and the prevalence of inequality and poverty
Culture of Honour
- In some cultures i.e. southern US states
- Boys and men learn that it is important to protect their reputations through physical aggression
Social Rejection and Aggression
-Akin to a death warrant in evolutionary history so activates defence mechanisms in those we deem responsible
- Ostracisation is a factor in school shootings
Heat and aggression
-More crime in summer and in hotter reasons
- Triggers a stress response i.e. cortisol and adrenaline which increases irritability and aggression
Negative Emotion and Aggression
- Any situation that induces negative emotion i,e, fear, frustration, pain can manifest itself in physical violence
- Emotional states can interrupt the functioning of brain regions involved in controlling behaviour
Crowding and Aggression
-Increased population density has increased levels of violent crime i.e. dense urban areas
Television an Aggression
- Lots of correlational findings as television exposes individuals to violence and aggression
Television on Aggressive Thinking
- Habituation and desensitisation
Behaviour
Arousal; Could energise other behaviours by acting as a stimulus
- Disinhibits deviant behaviour
- Imitation
Pornography
- Alters perception of reality
- Leads to increased violence against women
Group Polarisation
- Aggression may increase in groups i.e. when individuals with moderate/ weak prejudicial attitudes in relation to another group interact with that group in the presence of a larger group on their own side i.e. after a football match
- Groups can also lead to increased anonymity so people feel less responsible and more concealed when acting aggressively
