CHAPTER 10-AGGRESSION AND
ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Learning Objectives:
1. Define the different types of aggression.
2. Debate the role of nature versus nurture in human aggression, and analyse the
effects of culture on aggressive impulses.
3. Identify the inner causes of aggression.
4. Describe the interpersonal causes of aggression.
5. Compare the external causes of aggression to the internal and interpersonal causes.
6. Discuss the role of culture and self-views in producing violence and aggression.
7. Identify other, non-aggressive forms of antisocial behaviour.
The idea of Aggression from early psychological theories is depicted as the outburst of
powerful inner forces.
Recent theories have considered aggression as a kind of strategic behaviour that people
use to influence others, get what they want, and defend certain ideas that they see as
under attack.
One can adopt either a pessimistic or an optimistic view of aggression in human life.
Pessimistic:
There is a great deal of aggression, and it is sad to think how much
avoidable suffering it causes all over the world.
Optimistic:
Many situations could lead to aggression, but aggression arises in only a few
of them, so somehow most people manage to inhibit their aggressive
tendencies most of the time.
DEFINING AGGRESSION, VIOLENCE AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Aggression: Any behaviour intended to harm another person who does not want to be
harmed.
This definition includes three important features.
1. Aggression is a behaviour.
- It is not and emotion or a thought.
2. Aggression is deliberate and intentional and the intent to harm.
1
, - Eg. A dentist might intentionally give a patient a shot of anaesthetic to numb the
pain of filling a cavity (and the shot hurts!), but the goal is to help rather than
hurt the patient.
- Behaviours that are intended to harm others are still acts of aggression even if
they don’t actually harm them.
o Eg. If a person shoots a gun at you but misses, it is still an act of
aggression.
3. The definition specifies that the victim wants to avoid the harm.
- Eg. The dental patient is excluded because they are not seeking to avoid the
harm (in fact, the patient probably booked the appointment weeks in advance
and paid to have the dental work done).
- Suicide and sadomasochistic sex play are also not included because again the
victim actively seeks to be harmed.
4. Aggression involves at least two people – the perpetrator and the victim.
- Thus, suicide is once again excluded because it involves only one person
Forms of aggression:
o Physically
Eg. Hitting, kicking, stabbing, shooting.
o Verbally.
Eg. Yelling, screaming, swearing, name calling.
Displaced Aggression: any behaviour that intentionally harms a substitute target rather
than the provocateur
o In Displaced Aggression, a substitute aggression target is used.
Eg. A man is shouted at by his boss at work but does not retaliate. When he
gets home, he kicks his dog or yells at a family member instead.
o People may resort to displaced aggression when they lack other means to deal with
frustrating situations.
The different forms of aggression can be expressed directly or indirectly.
o Direct Aggression: Any behaviour that intentionally harms another person who is
physically present.
Physical aggression can be direct (e.g., hitting a person in the face).
Verbal aggression can be direct (e.g., screaming in a person’s face).
Men are more likely to use direct aggression than women.
o Indirect aggression: Any behaviour that intentionally harms another person who is
physically absent.
2
, Physical aggression can be indirect (e.g., burning his house down while he is
away).
Verbal aggression can be indirect (e.g., spreading rumours behind her back).
Women are more likely to use indirect aggression than men.
Aggressive acts may also differ in their function or motivation.
To capture different functions or motives for aggression, psychologists make a distinction
between:
o Reactive aggression (or hostile aggression): ‘Hot’, impulsive, angry behaviour
motivated by a desire to harm someone.
o Proactive aggression (or instrumental aggression): ‘Cold’, premeditated,
calculated harmful behaviour that is a means to some practical or material end.
Bullying: persistent aggression by a perpetrator against a victim for the purpose of
establishing a power relationship over the victim.
o The key feature of bullying over other acts of aggression is its persistent nature –
the bully repeatedly picks on the victim.
Cyberbullying: The use of the internet to bully others.
o The perpetrator can be anonymous, especially when using instant messaging.
Violence: Aggression that has as its goal extreme physical harm, such as injury or
death.
o Eg. One child pushing another off a tricycle is an act of aggression but is not an act
of violence.
o One person intentionally hitting, kicking, shooting or stabbing another person is an
act of violence.
All violent acts are aggressive acts, but not all aggressive acts are violent – only the
ones designed to cause extreme physical harm are violent.
Antisocial Behaviour: Behaviour that either damages interpersonal relationships or is
culturally undesirable.
Aggression is often equated with antisocial behaviour.
o Others argue that aggression is often a social as well as antisocial strategy.
It is a way that people seek to manage their social lives, such as by influencing
the behaviour of others to get what they want.
3
ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Learning Objectives:
1. Define the different types of aggression.
2. Debate the role of nature versus nurture in human aggression, and analyse the
effects of culture on aggressive impulses.
3. Identify the inner causes of aggression.
4. Describe the interpersonal causes of aggression.
5. Compare the external causes of aggression to the internal and interpersonal causes.
6. Discuss the role of culture and self-views in producing violence and aggression.
7. Identify other, non-aggressive forms of antisocial behaviour.
The idea of Aggression from early psychological theories is depicted as the outburst of
powerful inner forces.
Recent theories have considered aggression as a kind of strategic behaviour that people
use to influence others, get what they want, and defend certain ideas that they see as
under attack.
One can adopt either a pessimistic or an optimistic view of aggression in human life.
Pessimistic:
There is a great deal of aggression, and it is sad to think how much
avoidable suffering it causes all over the world.
Optimistic:
Many situations could lead to aggression, but aggression arises in only a few
of them, so somehow most people manage to inhibit their aggressive
tendencies most of the time.
DEFINING AGGRESSION, VIOLENCE AND ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Aggression: Any behaviour intended to harm another person who does not want to be
harmed.
This definition includes three important features.
1. Aggression is a behaviour.
- It is not and emotion or a thought.
2. Aggression is deliberate and intentional and the intent to harm.
1
, - Eg. A dentist might intentionally give a patient a shot of anaesthetic to numb the
pain of filling a cavity (and the shot hurts!), but the goal is to help rather than
hurt the patient.
- Behaviours that are intended to harm others are still acts of aggression even if
they don’t actually harm them.
o Eg. If a person shoots a gun at you but misses, it is still an act of
aggression.
3. The definition specifies that the victim wants to avoid the harm.
- Eg. The dental patient is excluded because they are not seeking to avoid the
harm (in fact, the patient probably booked the appointment weeks in advance
and paid to have the dental work done).
- Suicide and sadomasochistic sex play are also not included because again the
victim actively seeks to be harmed.
4. Aggression involves at least two people – the perpetrator and the victim.
- Thus, suicide is once again excluded because it involves only one person
Forms of aggression:
o Physically
Eg. Hitting, kicking, stabbing, shooting.
o Verbally.
Eg. Yelling, screaming, swearing, name calling.
Displaced Aggression: any behaviour that intentionally harms a substitute target rather
than the provocateur
o In Displaced Aggression, a substitute aggression target is used.
Eg. A man is shouted at by his boss at work but does not retaliate. When he
gets home, he kicks his dog or yells at a family member instead.
o People may resort to displaced aggression when they lack other means to deal with
frustrating situations.
The different forms of aggression can be expressed directly or indirectly.
o Direct Aggression: Any behaviour that intentionally harms another person who is
physically present.
Physical aggression can be direct (e.g., hitting a person in the face).
Verbal aggression can be direct (e.g., screaming in a person’s face).
Men are more likely to use direct aggression than women.
o Indirect aggression: Any behaviour that intentionally harms another person who is
physically absent.
2
, Physical aggression can be indirect (e.g., burning his house down while he is
away).
Verbal aggression can be indirect (e.g., spreading rumours behind her back).
Women are more likely to use indirect aggression than men.
Aggressive acts may also differ in their function or motivation.
To capture different functions or motives for aggression, psychologists make a distinction
between:
o Reactive aggression (or hostile aggression): ‘Hot’, impulsive, angry behaviour
motivated by a desire to harm someone.
o Proactive aggression (or instrumental aggression): ‘Cold’, premeditated,
calculated harmful behaviour that is a means to some practical or material end.
Bullying: persistent aggression by a perpetrator against a victim for the purpose of
establishing a power relationship over the victim.
o The key feature of bullying over other acts of aggression is its persistent nature –
the bully repeatedly picks on the victim.
Cyberbullying: The use of the internet to bully others.
o The perpetrator can be anonymous, especially when using instant messaging.
Violence: Aggression that has as its goal extreme physical harm, such as injury or
death.
o Eg. One child pushing another off a tricycle is an act of aggression but is not an act
of violence.
o One person intentionally hitting, kicking, shooting or stabbing another person is an
act of violence.
All violent acts are aggressive acts, but not all aggressive acts are violent – only the
ones designed to cause extreme physical harm are violent.
Antisocial Behaviour: Behaviour that either damages interpersonal relationships or is
culturally undesirable.
Aggression is often equated with antisocial behaviour.
o Others argue that aggression is often a social as well as antisocial strategy.
It is a way that people seek to manage their social lives, such as by influencing
the behaviour of others to get what they want.
3
