Social Psychology – Chapter 10 – Aggression
Perspectives on AggressionÒ In Search o the Roots o iiolence
The Role o Biological FactorsÒ Are We Programmed or iiolence?
Sigmund FreudÒ Thanatos initally aimed at sel -destructon ut is redirected outward
to others
Konrad LorenzÒ aggression spring rom inherited fghtng instnct assuring that only
the strongest males will o tain mates and pass their genes on
rejected y social psychologists due to the act that
1. Human eings aggress others in many diferent ways too road range o
ehaiviors as to e explained y genes only
2. Frequency o aggressiive actons ivaries tremendously across human societes
with the growth o the eivolutonary perspectivee the potental role o iology is
reconsidered
As men´s matng motivaton is activated they ecome more aggressiive ut
only in presence o males
consistent with goal o driiving of potental riivals when succeedingÒ
testosterone increases and they gain status
Driive TheoriesÒ The Motivaton to Harm Others
Drive theories of aggression – propose that external conditons arouse a strong motive to
harm others
(External conditon driive to harm others oivert aggression)
frustraton-aggression hypothesis – suggests that rustraton leads to the arousal o
a driive whose primary goal is that o harming some person or o ject ( rustraton as
only cause o aggression)
Modern Theories o Aggression
Social learning perspectie
indiividuals aren´t orn with a large array o aggressiive responses at their disposal
depending on past experiences and the cultures in which indiividuals liive they haive to
learn
o ivarious ways o seeking to harm others
o which people o groups are appropriate targets or aggression
o what actons y others just y retaliaton or ivengeance on their part
o what situatons or contexts are the ones in which aggression is
permited/approived
General aggression model (GAM – uilding on social learning perspective) – a chain o
eivents that may ultmately lead to oivert aggression can e initated y two major types o
input ivaria les
1. situatonal actors – relatng to current situaton causing one to experience
discom ort
2. person actors – relatng to people inivolived
ivaria les lead to oivert aggression through their impact on three asic processes
, o arousal
o afective states
o cognitons
reacton (either thoughful or impulsiive) depends on indiividuals appraisal o the
current situaton
Cause o Human AggressionÒ Sociale Culturale Personale and Situatonal
Basic Sources o AggressionÒ Frustraton and Proivocaton
Frustratonn: Why not Geetng What You Want an Sometmes Lead to Aggression
frustraton-aggression hypothesis
o rustraton always leads to some orm o aggression
o aggression always stems rom rustraton
not supported y researche utÒ aggression is not an automatc response o
rustraton; rustraton can e a determinant o aggression
Direct Proiocatonn: When Aggression Breeds Aggression
provocaton – one o the strongest causes o human aggression
o condescension – expression o arrogance or disdain on the part o others
(critcism) power ul orm o proivocaton
o teasing – proivoking statements that call atenton to an indiividual s faws and
imper ectonse ut can e in the same tme play ul in nature
o actons y others threatening our status or pu lic imageÒ important triggers o
proivocaton
Social Causes o Aggression
social exclusion/rejecton as power ul trigger or aggression
due to initaton o a hostle cognitie mindset – activatng cognitive structures in our
minds leading us to perceiive am iguous/neutral actons y others as hostle in nature
and to perceiive aggression as common in social interactons
hostle cognitive ias
Media Violencen: The Potentally Harmful Efects of Films, Teleiision, and Video Geames
1. Research on exposure to media iviolence indicates that such materials signifcantly
increase the likelihood o aggressiive ehaivior y people exposed to them
2. Such exposure has oth short-term and long-term efects on aggression
3. The magnitude o these afects is large
especially aggressiive ivideo games consistently increase aggressiive cognitonse aggressiive
afecte and su sequent aggressiive ehaivior; it reduces empathy or others and su sequent
prosocial ehaivior
sense o autonomy and competence proivided y such games makes them appealing (not
the iviolent content)
Perspectives on AggressionÒ In Search o the Roots o iiolence
The Role o Biological FactorsÒ Are We Programmed or iiolence?
Sigmund FreudÒ Thanatos initally aimed at sel -destructon ut is redirected outward
to others
Konrad LorenzÒ aggression spring rom inherited fghtng instnct assuring that only
the strongest males will o tain mates and pass their genes on
rejected y social psychologists due to the act that
1. Human eings aggress others in many diferent ways too road range o
ehaiviors as to e explained y genes only
2. Frequency o aggressiive actons ivaries tremendously across human societes
with the growth o the eivolutonary perspectivee the potental role o iology is
reconsidered
As men´s matng motivaton is activated they ecome more aggressiive ut
only in presence o males
consistent with goal o driiving of potental riivals when succeedingÒ
testosterone increases and they gain status
Driive TheoriesÒ The Motivaton to Harm Others
Drive theories of aggression – propose that external conditons arouse a strong motive to
harm others
(External conditon driive to harm others oivert aggression)
frustraton-aggression hypothesis – suggests that rustraton leads to the arousal o
a driive whose primary goal is that o harming some person or o ject ( rustraton as
only cause o aggression)
Modern Theories o Aggression
Social learning perspectie
indiividuals aren´t orn with a large array o aggressiive responses at their disposal
depending on past experiences and the cultures in which indiividuals liive they haive to
learn
o ivarious ways o seeking to harm others
o which people o groups are appropriate targets or aggression
o what actons y others just y retaliaton or ivengeance on their part
o what situatons or contexts are the ones in which aggression is
permited/approived
General aggression model (GAM – uilding on social learning perspective) – a chain o
eivents that may ultmately lead to oivert aggression can e initated y two major types o
input ivaria les
1. situatonal actors – relatng to current situaton causing one to experience
discom ort
2. person actors – relatng to people inivolived
ivaria les lead to oivert aggression through their impact on three asic processes
, o arousal
o afective states
o cognitons
reacton (either thoughful or impulsiive) depends on indiividuals appraisal o the
current situaton
Cause o Human AggressionÒ Sociale Culturale Personale and Situatonal
Basic Sources o AggressionÒ Frustraton and Proivocaton
Frustratonn: Why not Geetng What You Want an Sometmes Lead to Aggression
frustraton-aggression hypothesis
o rustraton always leads to some orm o aggression
o aggression always stems rom rustraton
not supported y researche utÒ aggression is not an automatc response o
rustraton; rustraton can e a determinant o aggression
Direct Proiocatonn: When Aggression Breeds Aggression
provocaton – one o the strongest causes o human aggression
o condescension – expression o arrogance or disdain on the part o others
(critcism) power ul orm o proivocaton
o teasing – proivoking statements that call atenton to an indiividual s faws and
imper ectonse ut can e in the same tme play ul in nature
o actons y others threatening our status or pu lic imageÒ important triggers o
proivocaton
Social Causes o Aggression
social exclusion/rejecton as power ul trigger or aggression
due to initaton o a hostle cognitie mindset – activatng cognitive structures in our
minds leading us to perceiive am iguous/neutral actons y others as hostle in nature
and to perceiive aggression as common in social interactons
hostle cognitive ias
Media Violencen: The Potentally Harmful Efects of Films, Teleiision, and Video Geames
1. Research on exposure to media iviolence indicates that such materials signifcantly
increase the likelihood o aggressiive ehaivior y people exposed to them
2. Such exposure has oth short-term and long-term efects on aggression
3. The magnitude o these afects is large
especially aggressiive ivideo games consistently increase aggressiive cognitonse aggressiive
afecte and su sequent aggressiive ehaivior; it reduces empathy or others and su sequent
prosocial ehaivior
sense o autonomy and competence proivided y such games makes them appealing (not
the iviolent content)
