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Aggression
Aggression
Aggression
d
IC'
:r
In ~-c' holo gy. the t~m , agg ress ion ~fe rs to a
that can tT~ult in bot h phy sical and psy cho lo . rangt Of
others or objects in the env iron men t. Thi s t gi<'al hattt. ~h~
,t
e Ype of heha _to )~\1 \1
lJ\ han ning 3no th~r pers on eith er phy sica l) or ll1 Vi0.,
d l • Y il \(t ~
t
s•an of an und er y1ng men tal hea lth di· enta )' It ,
sord er
t
f
' v.· ·
disorder or a n,ed ical diso rder . , a subSt_.t\
Ca?\ 1. ,
ut l
Social p~~ holo gist s defi ne agg ress ion as heh . ~ "1t
han n ano ther indi vidu al ,vho doe s not wi·s11 aVio
to b
ur i.r i
· ttt~
nd Richardson). e hatrti 1\dcd
ed(ll.L ~
a
-~
Because it involves the per cep. tion of intent Wh
. f
s aggression fro m one poi nt o view may not lo,o k at I0oks
ano ther and the san1e har mfu l beh avio ur that w \
considered aggressive dep end ing on its intentlll· lay or Illa" ay &~
r . d as wor se tha n uni nten tio nten r1onaJ' hnot t~
ho,vcver, perceive na1 harm , even~~ .
'd ·ca1.
the harm s are 1 enu
• Forms of Ag gr es sio n
Aggrtssio,r am take a variefY ofJohns, including
• Physical • Ver bal
• Emotional • Me ntal
vVhile \\'e ofte n thin k of agg ress ion as pur ely in physical ~onns S\d\
h" ch I · al
as hi tung ~r ~u~ ~g, psy o ogi c agg ress ion can also be verv
·
dan gero us, 1ntun1dating or ver ball y ber atin g ano ther person e.g.~
.
examples of verbal, men tal and emo tion al aggression.
Purposes of Ag gr es sio n
Aggression can serve a number of different purposes, including
• To express ang er or hos tilit y • To asse rt dominance
• To inti mid ate or thre aten • To ach ieve a goal
• To express possession • A resp ons e to fear
• A reac tion to pain • To com pete with others
Biological Factors
Gender Differences:-
can I.'', " 0h, so that's how y·o u d0 ill", "I th'i nk it
1 1 1
11
must be agg1 1 n gs that l"m experienl1
r es si1ve 'f'e eli1
1
1
1
c i1
ng. ' ,
''Ho~hum, another brutal beating; what 1s on t he
1
1 1
other channel? n, and ''I had !b etter get h1im before hie
1
get sme!''
Direct Provocation
• Research has shown that verbal and physiegJ:
provocation results in people behaving
aggressively (Geen, 1968) e.g., street figral!s,,
brawls in bars or sports grounds
• Reci rocit rinci le: tendency to strike back if''
provoked - mutual aggression (also in 'attraction')
• Age is a moderating influence on the link between
provocation and aggression (Eagly & Steffenm
1986)
• Aggression in retaliation to provocation may bei
seen as self-defense and therefore adaptive
Noi~ Environmental Factors:-
Donnentdn and Wilson CI 9 76) found dun then= wm n ~ or a
1
sitaD)1. llo"'- 1onen in ~~, lire~ dtt ,ou delh·er ~hocks 10 n1her
pcoptc?
A i, fluaJ;1.)'
When thtrc have bec'n civd ,11,1urbanccs~ mcdh1 rcpon.1 tun,T rm-
phusiscd 1hr: ·1ong hut ;u,n,mc1' dfcct. In ruc1 ml\,: US Riu1 Cammis•
lion ti 96'8) cited ,un '~cnlln:T 115 u CllU5C or riol5. In r11C°I lht
n:lulion1hip bclw.:~n high le-mpen.1 t1ures ,a nd UJggn:ssin: liN:b1.1"uJu1
1
is nn1 quite as simp1e us 1ham. Rcse:m:h bns round llw1 u.;bil~ 1t LS uu~
1hc heal incrcaLscs lhc tendency ro,1tard.li uggrcs.sion. ir i1 nol mlinear
1
30 ANDERSON ■ BUSHMAN
HUMAN AGGRFSSION 31
Produces
Residual
An aroused arouse.I
Arousal
state from event 1
attributed to
(eg. Increased event 1 causes
heart rate etc.) over-reacllon
Arousal
No eggresslve
attributed
response
to event 3
Aggressive
resp0nse
Script Theory
Huesmann ( 1986, 1998) proposed that when children observe violence in the mass
media, they learn aggressive scripts. Scripts define situations and guide behavior:
The person first selects a script to represent the situation and then assumes a role
in the scripL Once a script bas been learned, it may be retrieved at some later time
and used as a guide for behavior. This approach can be seen as a more specific and
detailed account of social learning processes.
Scripts arc sets of particularly well-rehearsed, highly associated concepts in
memory, often involving causal links, goals, and action plans (Abelson 1981,
Schank & Abelson 1977). When items arc so strongly linked that they form a
script. they become a unitary concept in semantic memory. Furthermore, even a
few script rehearsals can change a person's expectations and intentions involving
important social behaviors (Anderson 1983, Anderson & Godfrey 1987, Marsh
et al. 1998). A frequently rehearsed script gains accessibility strength in two ways.
Multiple rehearsals create additional links to other concepts in memory. thus in-
creasing the number of paths by which it can be activated. Multiple rehearsals also
Social Interaction Theory
Social in1er.a~don d111!Gry (Tedeschi & Felson l 994) ml6p.dl1■gressiw behavior
(or coerci.ve actiom) m,BOGial influence bebaviort i.e.r1 an actor me1cocrcive actions
1
1
rto produce some change in I.be 111111 1 behavior. Coercive ac1ions can be 'U sed by an
actor to obtain 10111~1 of value (e .1-~ iafmfflaUon. moneyl 1cois½
1
••!! RrVicm'T
safety), to euc( retribuli.,.e justice for perceived wnm11, or IO brina abc)lfl desired
1
social, and self identities (e.1., toughaeuil compe1ence). According EO dlis lbeoly·.
rtbe. ,a dor is a decis1on..maker whose clloims are directed by dl! m.pedcd ...v~
1
by hiper level (or uJl.imale) 1oals~Even boslile a11resJbm mipl have :some rati~
nel goal behind it~ sucb u. punishing lhl: provocateur in Oftler 'ID redlllee me likeli-
1
Biological Environmental
modifiers '-.,/ modifiers
'
• -••••
IPersonality
•
I ••
•••
••
. •
Ji,t''\"'
Person y Situation
Social
encounter
Proximate Present Cognition
causes&
processes
internal
state
/
Affccl - '
Arousal
f Thoughtful ..,_
Appraisal &i-. action
decision
processes i-. Impulsive
acbon
aroused the person is, the person's immediate response may be
an impulse to aggress. The person may act on this impulse, but
if they have the time and cognitive resources to do so, and if the
immediate response is undesirable, a period of appraisal and
reappraisal will follow. C.Onsequences are then thought-
through, alternate responses considered, and a considered
response made. The resulting behavioral action may or may not
be aggressive, but in any case all actions feed back into the
immediate situation and also influence the person's psycho-
logical make-up (i.e., their personality).
Underlying the GAM are detailed assumptions that take int.o
account a myriad of within-person factors, a range of possible
triggers for aggression, known internal psychological processes,
and the means by which behavior is reinforced and learned. In
terms of the latter, knowledge structures such as schemas
(a grouping of knowledge, feelings, m.emories, perceptions and
notions about typical behavior that is centered around
a particular theme) and scripts (knowledge about how people
typically behave in a given situation such as during conflict) are
person factors that can not only impel a person to be aggressive
in the moment, but also change to reflect our experiences
(upper portion of Figure I ). Thus, experience leads to changes
in the type, content, and accessibility of knowledge structures,
which are seen as the basis of personality.
Together, these features of GAM can be used to explain
shon- and long-term aggression across a range of forms and
functions, including the three key dimensions already noted:
degree of hostile/agitated affect; degree of automaticity versus
conscious thought; and degree to which the goal is to harm the
victim versus benefit the perpetrator. Phenomena as different as
sexual and nonsexual aggression against women (e.g.,
Anderson and Anderson, 2008), personality effects on violent
crime ( I Josic et al., 2014 ), and dozens more are well explained
byGAM.
PS1810 Psychology in Contemporary Society
Lecture 4: Psychology of Terrorism
Purpose of Terrorism
• Intimidate a watching popular audience by harming only a few
• Violence against innocent people to intimidate or coerce a government or civilian people to
accept the demand of an ideology or a cause
• English (2016) says it rarely achieves its goals
Types ot Terrorism:
1. Social-revolutionary terrorism
• Rebellion against their parents generation: responsible of their failures and problems
• Their aim is to overthrow capitalism and social order
• Eg. Red army faction (Germany)
2. Nationalist-Separatist terrorism
• Their aim is to establish a new nation based on homogeneity
• They carry on the mission of their parents
• Loyal to their parents and disloyal to the regime
• eg. IRA
3. Religious fundamentalism
• Their aim is to expel the secular west with its corrupt values
• Crucial role of the leader
• eg. AI-Quaeda, ISIS
place, ,causjna lhe dealh of about so mllllo.n (:5 Crom) people. ~1. :tJ L •·Viar/ 2.21.3 - Day)
n. Canwntlan111ft thl ~ cwntton 1ndl PunJlllmant al Iha Crim■ Df Gll'IOdH,. 1941
1
cd the Conv.ention1defines 1er1oclde 11 - ■nr of the folil owin1 aru c:om1mlned Mth inlenl •t,o,
- Altttl'e 2 1
desHOf; in w1 hole or tin pan, a nanonal, ethnical, racia'I or reHg~oui 1raup,, as such:
1
c) Dellberate~w inn1ct1na on the 1r,oup mnd1idons of'HI! calculaited to bdn1 about rits phw.S;tcal de&truelion In
whole air in part
d) 1mposln1 1me1s1:1m 1ln11nded 1·0 prevent births 'Wllhln t.he a~owp
e) Ford.bly lr,ansfen1n1 c:hHdren af lhe 1rou1p I.a another 1mup