PYC3701
CHAPTER 10 – AGGRESSION: ITS
NATURE, CAUSES AND CONTROL
Key Terms Explanation Pg.
Drive theories of These theories propose that external 344
aggression conditions – especially those that create
frustration – arouse a strong motive to harm
others
Frustration-aggression This theory suggests that frustration – 344
hypothesis anything that prevents us from reaching
goals we are seeking – leads to the arousal
of a drive whose primary goal is that of
harming some person or object – particularly
the perceived cause of frustration
Condescension Expressions of arrogance or disdain on the 348
part of others
Teasing Provoking statements that call attention to an 348
individual’s flaws and imperfections but can
be, at the same time, playful in nature
Indirect aggression Actions designed to harm another, but which 357
are not performed directly against this person
Bullying A form of interpersonal aggression in which 362
one individual intentionally and repeatedly
aggresses against another
Punishment Delivery of aversive consequences 367
Catharsis hypothesis The view that individuals give vent to their 370
anger and hostility in non-harmful ways, their
tendencies to engage in more dangerous
types of aggression will be reduced
Perspectives on Aggression: In Search of the Roots of Violence
Aggression can be as subtle as showing obvious boredom during a
presentation or deliberately ignoring someone in a social setting
The Role of Biological Factors:
Our basic nature as a species
Freud – aggression stems mainly from a powerful death wish that all humans
possess
o Initially aimed at self-destruction, but is soon redirected outward,
toward others
Lorenz – suggested that aggression stems mainly from an inherited fighting
instinct which assures that only the strongest males will obtain mates and
pass their genes on
At first rejected these ideas for 2 main reasons
o Human beings aggress against others in many different ways
, o The frequency of aggressive actions varies tremendously across
human societies, so that it is much more likely to occur in some than in
others
The potential role of biology is being reconsidered after previously being
rejected
Successful aggression
Testosterone
Drive Theories:
The motive to harm others
Explanation in table
Frustration-aggression hypothesis – explanation in table
o Suggested that frustration is the strongest, perhaps the only, cause of
aggression
Modern Theories of Aggression:
Don’t focus on a single factor, instead they draw on advances in many areas
of psychology in order to gain added insight into the factors that play a role in
the occurrence of such behaviour
Social learning perspective
o Bandura
o Human beings are not born with a large array of aggressive responses
at their disposal
o Rather, they must acquire these in the much the same way that they
acquire other complex forms of social behaviour: through direct
experience or by observing the behaviour of others
o Thus, depending on their past experience and the cultures in which
they live, individuals learn
Various ways of seeking to harm others
Which people or groups are appropriate targets for aggression
What actions by others justify retaliation or vengeance
What situations or contexts are the ones in which aggression is
permitted or even approved
General Aggression Model (GAM)
o A chain of events that may ultimately lead to over aggression can by
initiated by 2 major types of input variables
Factors relating to the current situation (situational factors)
Factors relating to the people involved (person factors)
o Variables falling in to the first category include frustration, some kind of
provocation from another person, exposure to other people behaving
aggressively and virtually anything that causes individuals to
experience discomfort
o Variables falling in to the second category include traits that predispose
individuals toward aggression, certain attitudes and beliefs about
violence, a tendency to perceive hostile intentions in others’ behaviour,
and specific skills related to aggression
CHAPTER 10 – AGGRESSION: ITS
NATURE, CAUSES AND CONTROL
Key Terms Explanation Pg.
Drive theories of These theories propose that external 344
aggression conditions – especially those that create
frustration – arouse a strong motive to harm
others
Frustration-aggression This theory suggests that frustration – 344
hypothesis anything that prevents us from reaching
goals we are seeking – leads to the arousal
of a drive whose primary goal is that of
harming some person or object – particularly
the perceived cause of frustration
Condescension Expressions of arrogance or disdain on the 348
part of others
Teasing Provoking statements that call attention to an 348
individual’s flaws and imperfections but can
be, at the same time, playful in nature
Indirect aggression Actions designed to harm another, but which 357
are not performed directly against this person
Bullying A form of interpersonal aggression in which 362
one individual intentionally and repeatedly
aggresses against another
Punishment Delivery of aversive consequences 367
Catharsis hypothesis The view that individuals give vent to their 370
anger and hostility in non-harmful ways, their
tendencies to engage in more dangerous
types of aggression will be reduced
Perspectives on Aggression: In Search of the Roots of Violence
Aggression can be as subtle as showing obvious boredom during a
presentation or deliberately ignoring someone in a social setting
The Role of Biological Factors:
Our basic nature as a species
Freud – aggression stems mainly from a powerful death wish that all humans
possess
o Initially aimed at self-destruction, but is soon redirected outward,
toward others
Lorenz – suggested that aggression stems mainly from an inherited fighting
instinct which assures that only the strongest males will obtain mates and
pass their genes on
At first rejected these ideas for 2 main reasons
o Human beings aggress against others in many different ways
, o The frequency of aggressive actions varies tremendously across
human societies, so that it is much more likely to occur in some than in
others
The potential role of biology is being reconsidered after previously being
rejected
Successful aggression
Testosterone
Drive Theories:
The motive to harm others
Explanation in table
Frustration-aggression hypothesis – explanation in table
o Suggested that frustration is the strongest, perhaps the only, cause of
aggression
Modern Theories of Aggression:
Don’t focus on a single factor, instead they draw on advances in many areas
of psychology in order to gain added insight into the factors that play a role in
the occurrence of such behaviour
Social learning perspective
o Bandura
o Human beings are not born with a large array of aggressive responses
at their disposal
o Rather, they must acquire these in the much the same way that they
acquire other complex forms of social behaviour: through direct
experience or by observing the behaviour of others
o Thus, depending on their past experience and the cultures in which
they live, individuals learn
Various ways of seeking to harm others
Which people or groups are appropriate targets for aggression
What actions by others justify retaliation or vengeance
What situations or contexts are the ones in which aggression is
permitted or even approved
General Aggression Model (GAM)
o A chain of events that may ultimately lead to over aggression can by
initiated by 2 major types of input variables
Factors relating to the current situation (situational factors)
Factors relating to the people involved (person factors)
o Variables falling in to the first category include frustration, some kind of
provocation from another person, exposure to other people behaving
aggressively and virtually anything that causes individuals to
experience discomfort
o Variables falling in to the second category include traits that predispose
individuals toward aggression, certain attitudes and beliefs about
violence, a tendency to perceive hostile intentions in others’ behaviour,
and specific skills related to aggression
