What is Aggression?

-       behavior intending to hurt

-       types

o   hostile

§     desire to hurt

o   instrumental

§     means to an end

Theories of Aggression

-       biological theories

o   1. instinct theory

§     Freud, Lorenz

§     aggression adaptive

o   2. neural influences

§     amygdale

§     prefrontal cortex

·     14% less active

o   3. biochemical influences

§     alcohol

·     reduces inhibitions

§     testosterone

·     high levels

 

 

§     serotonin

·     low levels

-       response to frustration?

o   frustration-aggression theory

§     frustration = blocked goal

§     displace aggression

§     theory revised

·     justified = irritation

·     unjustified = anger

-       social theories

o   aggression learned?

§     1. rewards of aggression

·     children, athletes

·     parents reinforce

·     collective violence

o   jobs

·     terrorists

§     2. observational learning

·     Bandura

·     imitate rewarded behaviors

o   Bobo doll

 

·     everyday influences

o   family

§     physical punishment

§     absent father

§     Lykken research

Influences on Aggression

-       aversive incidents

o   pain

§     animals

·     pain-attack response

·     physical, psychological

§     human

·     Mike Tyson

o   heat

o   personal attacks

o   crowding

-       aggression cues

o   weapons create violence

o   Berkowitz studies

o   countries outlawing guns

o   Washington D.C.

 

 

-       media influences

o   what’s being modeled?

§     6 in 10 violent

§     73% unpunished

§     58% no pain

§     children’s programs

§     8,000 TV murders, 100,000 violent acts

§     may be good

·     catharsis hypothesis

o   release pent up hostility

o   TV’s effect on behavior

§     1977 TV Guide study

§     modest correlation

§     introduction of TV

·     1975 White South Africa

o   homicides doubled

§     violence follows viewing

o   TV viewing experiments

§     “irrefutable conclusion”

·     APA, 1993

 

 

o   why does TV affect behavior?

§     3 possibilities

·     1. arousal

·     2. disinhibition

·     3. imitation

o   TV’s effects on thinking

§     desensitization

§     shapes concept of reality

§     could be doing other things

-       group influences

o   diffused responsibility

o   deindividuation

§     anonymous

§     disinhibition

o   genocide social phenomenon

Reducing Aggression

-       catharsis?

o   doesn’t occur

o   arousal fuels anger

-       social learning approach

o   reward non-aggressive behavior

o   reduce aggression cues

o   reduce TV violence