Adrienne Black
BTEC Level 3 Public Services
Unit 18 Assignment 2
Behaviour in Public Sector Employment
Behaviour in the Public Services
Introduction
In this assignment, I will be outlining, assessing and evaluating different types of
behaviour and the benefits of understanding behaviours for public services and their
personnel. By the end of this assignment I hope understand behaviour in the public
services and its management.
(P3)
Aggression
Social psychologists define aggression as “behaviour that is intended to harm another
individual who does not wish to be harmed” (Baron & Richardson, 1994). Because it
involves the perception of intent, what looks like aggression from one point of view
may not look that way from another, and the same harmful behaviour may or may not
be considered aggressive depending on its intent. Intentional harm is, however,
perceived as worse than unintentional harm, even when the harms are identical (Ames
& Fiske, 2013).
Social psychologists use the term violence to refer to “aggression that has extreme
physical harm, such as injury or death, as its goal”( Link). Therefore, violence is a
subset of aggression. All violent acts are aggressive, but only acts that are intended to
cause extreme physical damage, such as murder, assault, rape, and robbery, are
violent. Slapping someone really hard across the face might be violent but calling
people names would only be aggressive.
Social psychologists agree that aggression can be verbal as well as physical.
Therefore, slinging insults at a friend is definitely aggressive, according to our
definition, just as hitting someone is. Physical aggression is “aggression that involves
harming others physically” (Link)—for instance hitting, kicking, stabbing, or shooting
them. Nonphysical aggression is aggression that does not involve physical harm.
Nonphysical aggression includes verbal aggression (yelling, screaming, swearing, and
name calling) and relational or social aggression, which is defined as “intentionally
harming another person’s social relationships” (Link), for instance, by gossiping
about another person, excluding others from our friendship, or giving others the
“silent treatment” (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Nonverbal aggression also occurs in the
form of sexual, racial, and homophobic jokes and epithets, which are designed to
cause harm to individuals.
1
BTEC Level 3 Public Services
Unit 18 Assignment 2
Behaviour in Public Sector Employment
Behaviour in the Public Services
Introduction
In this assignment, I will be outlining, assessing and evaluating different types of
behaviour and the benefits of understanding behaviours for public services and their
personnel. By the end of this assignment I hope understand behaviour in the public
services and its management.
(P3)
Aggression
Social psychologists define aggression as “behaviour that is intended to harm another
individual who does not wish to be harmed” (Baron & Richardson, 1994). Because it
involves the perception of intent, what looks like aggression from one point of view
may not look that way from another, and the same harmful behaviour may or may not
be considered aggressive depending on its intent. Intentional harm is, however,
perceived as worse than unintentional harm, even when the harms are identical (Ames
& Fiske, 2013).
Social psychologists use the term violence to refer to “aggression that has extreme
physical harm, such as injury or death, as its goal”( Link). Therefore, violence is a
subset of aggression. All violent acts are aggressive, but only acts that are intended to
cause extreme physical damage, such as murder, assault, rape, and robbery, are
violent. Slapping someone really hard across the face might be violent but calling
people names would only be aggressive.
Social psychologists agree that aggression can be verbal as well as physical.
Therefore, slinging insults at a friend is definitely aggressive, according to our
definition, just as hitting someone is. Physical aggression is “aggression that involves
harming others physically” (Link)—for instance hitting, kicking, stabbing, or shooting
them. Nonphysical aggression is aggression that does not involve physical harm.
Nonphysical aggression includes verbal aggression (yelling, screaming, swearing, and
name calling) and relational or social aggression, which is defined as “intentionally
harming another person’s social relationships” (Link), for instance, by gossiping
about another person, excluding others from our friendship, or giving others the
“silent treatment” (Crick & Grotpeter, 1995). Nonverbal aggression also occurs in the
form of sexual, racial, and homophobic jokes and epithets, which are designed to
cause harm to individuals.
1
