PSYC 215 - Chapter 11, Aggression

What is the difference between prosocial, asocial, and antisocial behaviours?

-Prosocial: Altruism, helping behaviour

-Asocial: Being on your own, not doing anything with anyone

Antisocial: angression, violence, destructive behaviour

What is aggression?

-Any behaviour intended to harm another person who does not want to be harmed

What are forms of aggression?

-Physical aggression: direct infliction of pain or injury

-Relational aggression: non-physical, meant to inflict social or emotional damage

-Reactive aggression: Impulsive, goal is to harm

-Instrumental aggression: means to some end; goal is personal gain

What is violence?

-Aggression with the goal of extreme harm, including injury or death

What is anger?

-Emotional state of displeasure or antagonism in response to (real or perceived) injury

-Not necessary for aggression

Who is aggressive (gender wise)?

-Men/boys are more physically aggressive than women/girls

-But, women/girls are more relationally aggressive

What is the Taylor Aggression Paradigm?

-Participants are told they are competing in a reaction time game

-When they “win”, they get to blast their “opponent” with an electric shock (or aversive noise)

-To measure reactive human aggression

What is copycat violence?

-Reporting on acts of violence can lead to copycat violence

What is the Young Werther effect?

-Popular novel released in 1774

-Protagonist dies by suicide

-Purportedly inspired copycat suicides

-Suicide rates increase following reporting on high-profile suicide

What is the evolutionary perspective on violence?

-Violence as a way to attain resources

-More resources = higher status, likelihood of mate

-High-risk, high-reward

What is the cinderella effect?

- Men much more likely to abuse or murder a stepchild vs. a biological child

What is the social learning theory?

-Aggression is a learned behaviour

-Reinforced through rewards and observation

-Learning specific behaviours from others

-Developing positive attitudes/beliefs about aggression

-Building social "scripts" around the acceptability of aggression to resolve interpersonal conflict

How can we deter aggression?

-Punishment may lead to a decrease in aggression, but only when

• Immediately follows the aggressive behaviour

• is strong enough to deter the aggressor

• is consistently applied and perceived as fair and legitimate by the aggressor

What is the lead-aggression hypothesis?

-Lead exposure affects brain development, hormonal systems

What is the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

-When goals are blocked, we become frustrated

• Aggression is a response to that frustration

• All aggression stems from frustration

How does the displacement of arousal work?

-If we can’t aggress against the source of the frustration → we aggress against another target

How do cultural factors affect aggression?

-Cultures of honour

• Strong emphasis on honour:

  • Especially for men

  • Aggression is accepted (or encouraged) to retain honour in the face of slights

What is extremism?

-“An ideological movement, contrary to the democratic and ethical values of a society, that uses different methods, including violence (physical or verbal) to achieve its objectives”

What is terrorism?

“The use or threatened use of violence that targets civilians and is motivated by specific ideological or political goals”

What is radicalization?

-The process through which individuals adopt extreme religious, social, or political ideals that justify or promote violence, terrorism, or intolerance of others. 

-It is a gradual, psychological process rather than an event, often driven by a combination of personal grievances, alienation, and ideological influence.

What is the strategic model?

-Paramilitary action as the most effective way to attain political goals

What is the true fanaticism model?

-Extremists are irrationally blinded by ideological or religious beliefs

What explains extremism?

-Social ties are one of the strongest drivers of radicalization

What are push and pull factors leading to joining terrorist groups?

-“Push” factors: Perceived injustice, social alienation, cognitive rigidity

-“Pull” factors: Desire for belonging, financial motives, propaganda exposure

What is the significance quest theory?

-People are motivated to satisfy a need for significance

-“the fundamental desire to matter, to be someone, to have respect.”

What is catharsis?

-A reduction of the motive to aggress that is said to result from any imagined, observed, or actual act of aggression.

What is the Dark Triad?

-A set of three traits that are associated with higher levels of aggressiveness: Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism.

What is executive functioning?

-The cognitive abilities and processes that allow humans to plan or inhibit their actions.

What is hostile attribution bias?

-The tendency to perceive hostile intent in others.

What is the weapons effect?

-The tendency that the likelihood of aggression will increase by the mere presence of weapons.