David Myers11e

Aggression: Intending to Hurting others

“…nothing so threatening to humanity as humanity itself.” (Lewis Thomas 1981)

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AggressionDefinedTheories of aggressionInfluences (causes) How it can be reducedReforming a violent culture

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What Is Aggression?

AggressionPhysical or verbal behavior intended to cause harm

Hostile Aggression (“social”)Aggression that springs from anger; its goal is to

injureInstrumental Aggression (“silent”)

Aggression that is a means to some other end E.g. terrorism,

To displace occupiers or get to heaven E.g. boxing

For $$$ reward E.g. war

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Biological Phenomenon

Thomas Hobbes – “by nature” (also Freud) Jean-Jacques Rousseau – “society causes it” Instinct theory and evolutionary psychology

Innate, unlearned behavior pattern exhibited by all members of a species (Lorenz) “naming error” Its adaptive What happened with Charles Barkley?

Neural influences Abnormal brains can contribute to abnormally aggressive

behavior Genetic Influences

Heredity influences the neural system’s sensitivity to aggressive cues

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Biological Phenomenon

Biochemical influences Alcohol –

reduces self-awareness, accuracy of social perception

Testosterone Poor diet –eat a lot of omega-3-fatty acids and

calcium Biology and behavior interact

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Response to Frustration

Frustration Blocking of goal-directed behavior

Frustration-aggression theory (Dollard, .39) Theory that frustration triggers a readiness to

aggress Displacement

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Frustration-Aggression Theory Revised (L.

Berkowitz, ’78)

Original theory overstated the frustration-aggression connection

Frustration produces anger, an emotional readiness to aggress Frustration-> Anger> Responses (lots possible) Theory is designed to explain hostile aggression,

not instrumental aggression

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as a Response to Frustration

Relative deprivation Perception that one is less well off than others with

whom one compares oneself (notice the cognitive component here) Explains why happiness tends to be lower and crime

rates higher in communities and nations with large income inequality But must consider perceptions of “justice” & “perceived equity”

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Aggression as Learned Social Behavior

Rewards of aggression Through experience and by observing others, we

learn that aggression often pays

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What Are Some Theories of Aggression? Observational Learning

Social learning theory (Bandura) We learn social behavior by observing and imitating

and by being rewarded and punished Bandura’s bobo doll experiment

Family Culture

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Aversive Incidents

Physical painPsychological painHeatAttacks

Includes insults Southern vs. northern reactions (Cohen et al., ‘96) What are some other “cultures of honor” other than

the southern U.S.?

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Arousal

A given state of bodily arousal feeds one emotion or another, depending on how the person interprets and labels the arousal Schachter & Singer, ‘62

Without a known source of arousal, we look or external sources & our mood.

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Aggression Cues

Violence is more likely when aggressive cues release pent-up anger (Berkowitz, ‘68)

Re: incidence of violence and gun possession rates We must look closer

Cf Maryland and Montana Guns are owned and used for different purposes

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual

ViolenceDistorted perceptions of sexual reality

Studies confirm that exposure to pornography increases acceptance of the rape myth

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual Violence

Distorted perceptions of sexual reality Aggression against women

Studies suggest that the exposure to violent pornography increase punitive behavior toward women

Ted Bundy was not “normal” –so he can not speak for others “…the most damaging kinds of pornography...involving

sexual violence……you keep craving something [more) …which gives you a greater sense of excitement..”

Impulse control (e.g. sex and violence) varies among individuals.

“Exposure to violence porn increases punitive behavior toward women”….for some who are predisposed….not all

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Pornography and Sexual

ViolenceDistorted perceptions of sexual reality

Medial awareness education Media awareness training as an alternative to

censorship Should violent porn be banned?

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet

Television’s effects on behavior Correlating TV viewing and behavior

Frequent result of correlating children’s TV viewing with aggressiveness is the more violent the content the more aggressive the child Extends to indirect aggression Should media violence be banned?

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet

Television’s effects on behavior TV viewing experiments

Ross Parke (1977) and Jacques Leyens (1975) Showed institutionalized American and Belgian

delinquent boys a series of either aggressive or nonaggressive commercial films

• Findings: Exposure to more violence led to an increase in viewer aggression

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression? Media Influences: Television and the Internet

Television’s effects on behavior Why does TV viewing affect behavior?

The arousal that it produces Viewing violence disinhibits Media portrayals evoke imitation

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Television and the Internet

Television’s effects on thinking Desensitization Social scripts

Culturally provided mental instructions for how to act in various situations

Altered perceptions Media portrayals shape perceptions of reality

Cognitive priming Media portrayals prime thinking

Time drain

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Video Games

The games kids play Games are becoming more violent and sometimes

include Carjacking Shooting Sex Murder

Games that are rated “M” for mature are often marketed to those younger

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Media Influences: Video Games

Effects of the games kids play Increases aggressive behaviors Increases aggressive thoughts Increases aggressive feelings Decreases helping others Decreases empathy for others Desensitized to violence

Should violent video games be banned?

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What Are Some Influences on Aggression?Group Influences

Can amplify aggressive reactions partly by diffusing responsibility Increases with distance and number deindividuation

Social contagion

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How Can Aggression Be Reduced?

Catharsis?Contrary to the catharsis hypothesis,

expressing aggression by catharsis tends to breed further aggression, not reduce it

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How Can Aggression Be Reduced?

A Social Learning ApproachControlling aggression by counteracting the

factors that provoke it Reducing aversive stimulation Rewarding nonaggression Modeling nonaggression Eliciting reactions incompatible with aggression

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How Can Aggression Be Reduced?Culture Change and World Violence

Cultures can change

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