Social Explanations for Aggression: Frustration-Aggression

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis (Dollard et al, 1939)

- frustration always leads to aggression and aggression is always the result of frustration

-frustration occurs when attempts to reach a goal are blocked by an external factor

- this produces an aggressive drive which leads to aggressive behaviour/thoughts which remove the negative emotion (known as catharsis)

- aggression is a biological drive like hunger

Reasons for Aggression Displacement

- abstract: cause is abstract e.g. government, economic situation

- power: cause is too powerful and we risk punishment if we aggress against it

- unavailability: the cause is unavailable/unreachable

Weapon Effect (Berkowitz)

- frustration creates a readiness for aggression but cues in the environment make acting upon it more likely

- cues are an additional element of the frustration-aggression hypothesis

Berkowitz and LePage (1967)

- participants were given real shocks creating anger and frustration

- participants were later allowed to give fake shocks to a confederate

- the number of shocks given was greater when there were 2 guns placed on the table in comparison to no guns

Russel Green (1968)

- university students (men) were tasked with solving a jigsaw puzzle

- participants were put into 3 conditions:
. the puzzle was impossible to solve
. a confederate would interfere
. a confederate would insult the participant as they failed the puzzle

- participants were later allowed to give confederate electric shocks

- the insulted participants gave the most intense shocks followed by the interference group then the impossible task group

Research Support: Strength (AO3)

- Marcus-Newhall et al conducted a meta-analysis of 49 studies of displaced aggression

- researchers concluded that displaced aggression is a reliable phenomenon

- frustrated participants who were unable to retaliate directly against the source of their frustration were more likely to aggress to an innocent party

Role of Catharsis: Limitation (AO3)

- research shows that aggression may not be cathartic

- Bushman (2000) found participants who vented their anger with a punching bag became increasingly more aggressive

- doing nothing was more effective than venting; according to Bushman 'the better people feel after venting, the more aggressive they are'

Frustration-Aggression Link: Limitation (AO3)

- the link between frustration-aggression is complex

- fustration does not always lead to aggression and aggression can occur without frustration

- responses to frustration vary some may become helpless or determined

- the frustration-aggression hypothesis is inadequate as it only explains how aggression arises in some situations

Frustration-Aggression: Counterpoint

- Berkowitz (1989) formulated the negative affect theory arguing frustration is one of the many aversive stimuli that create negative feelings

- aggressive behaviour is caused by these negative feelings rather than frustration generally

- this theory means that frustration can form a larger explanation of what causes aggression