Social Psychological Explanations Of Aggression: Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis

What are social psychological explanations of aggression?

Any theory that argues aggression is the result of an interaction between an individual’s characteristics and features of situations in which behaviour occurs.

What did Dollard et al. first formulate?

The frustration-aggression hypothesis.

What does the frustration-aggression hypothesis state?

That frustration always leads to aggression, and aggression is always the result of frustration.

What is aggression?

A psychological drive akin to biological drives such as hunger.

When do we experience frustration?

When our attempts to reach a goal are blocked by some external factor.

What does our attempts to reach a goal being blocked create?

An aggressive drive, which leads to aggressive thoughts/behaviour, such as a violent fantasy, a verbal outburst or perhaps even physical violence. This removes the negative emotion, which is called catharsis.

What happens after catharsis?

The aggression created by the frustration is satisfied, thereby reducing the aggressive drive and making further aggressison less likely. The aggressive behaviour is cathartic, and we feel better.

What does the F-A hypothesis recognise?

That aggression is not always expressed directly against the source of aggression, for three reasons.

What are the three reasons aggression may not be able to be expressed directly against the source?

• The cause of our frustration may be too abstract, such as the government, or music industry.

• The cause may be too powerful and we risk punishment by agressing against it.

• The cause may just be unavailable at the time.

What happens when a person is not able to express their aggression directly against the source?

Aggression is deflected (or displaced) onto an alternative - one that is not abstract, is weaker and is available.

Even if we become angry, will we always behave aggressively?

No.

What does Berkowitz argue about frustration?

That is merely creates a readiness for aggression, but the presence of aggressive cues in the environment makes acting upon this much more likely. Therefore cues are an additional element of the F-A hypothesis.

How did Berkowitz demonstrate the so-called weapon effect?

In a lab study where participants were given real electric shocks by a confederate, creating anger and frustration. The participants later had the opportunity to give fake shocks to the confederate.

What were Berkowitz’s findings?

The number of shocks given to the confederate was greater when there were two guns on the table, compared to other conditions where there were no guns.

What does the weapon effect support?

Berkowitz’s contention that the presence of aggressive environmental cues stimulates aggression.

What did Geen carry out a study to investigate?

How frustration affects aggression.

What was Geen’s procedure?

(Male) university students completed a jigsaw puzzle, their level of frustration was experimentally manipulated in one of three ways. 1) the puzzle was impossible to solve. 2) They ran out of time because another student (confederate kept interfering). 3) the confederate insulted the participant as they failed to complete the puzzle. All participants later had the opportunity to give the confederate electric shocks.

What were the findings of Geen?

The insulted participants gave the strongest shocks on average, followed by the interfered group, then the impossible task participants. All three groups selected more intense shocks than a (non-frustrated) control group.

How is research support a strength of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

Marcus-Newhall et al. conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies of displaced aggression. These studies investigated situations in which aggressive behaviour had to be directed against a 'human target' other than the one who caused the frustration. The researchers concluded that displaced aggression is a reliable phenomenon. Frustrated participants who were provoked but unable to retaliate directly against the source of their frustration were significantly more likely to aggress against an innocent party than people who were not provoked.

What does the research support show?

That frustration can lead to aggression against a weaker or more available target.

What are the limitations of the frustration-hypothesis hypothesis?

• Role of catharsis.

• Frustration-aggression-link.

How is the role of catharsis a limitation of the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

There is research showing that aggression may not be cathartic. Bushman found that participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting a punchbag actually became more aggressive rather than less. Doing nothing was more effective at reducing aggression than venting. Bushman argues that using venting to reduce anger is like using petrol to put out a fire. It does not work even for people who believe in its value. In fact, according to Bushman, The better people feel after venting, the more aggressive they are.

What does the role of catharsis show?

That a central assumption of the frustration-aggression hypothesis may not be valid.

How is the frustration-aggression link a limitation of the frustration-aggression-hypothesis?

The link between frustration and aggression is complex. Very early on in research into the frustration-aggression hypothesis it became clear that frustration does not always lead to aggression, and that aggression can occur without frustration. There is nothing 'automatic' about the link between the two. Someone who feels frustrated may behave in a range of different ways. Rather than being aggressive, they may instead be helpless or determined. Likewise, someone who behaves aggressively may do so for many reasons.

What does the frustration-aggression link suggest?

That the frustration-aggression hypothesis is inadequate because it only explains how aggression arises in some situations but not in others.

What is the counterpoint to the frustration-aggression link?

However, Berkowitz reformulated the initial hypothesis to take account of the above criticism. His negative affect theory argued that frustration is just one of many aversive stimuli that create negative feelings (affect) - others include loneliness, jealousy and pain.Aggressive behaviour is triggered by these negative feelings generally rather than by frustration specifically. The outcome of frustration can be a range of responses, only one of which is aggression. For example, you might feel frustrated at getting a poor essay grade and become despairing, anxious, determined, complacent or whatever.

What does the counterpoint to the frustration-aggression link show?

That therefore, frustration (negative feelings) can form part of a wider explanation of what causes aggression.