Social Psych chapter 13 - aggression

General aggression model

Using a mix of situational, construal, biological, and cultural factors to understand/predict aggression

What are some situational factors that lead to aggressive behavior?

Hot weather, exposure to violent media and video games, social rejection, economic inequality, and lack of green spaces

hostile aggression

doing something to intentionally harm someone else because of anger or hostility

instrumental aggression

intentionally hurting someone else but for other motives such as attention, wealth, or social advantage

What are some construals that lead to aggression?

Anger with the presence of weapons, uniform color, dehumanization

How can people modify construals to avoid aggression?

What is dehumanization?

giving nonhuman characteristics to an out-group in order to harm the group

What factors make dehumanization more likely?

Loyalty to the ingroup, social connection

What are ways to distance yourself from causes of aggression?

Look at the situation as if it’s a movie (and not first hand experience), asking about it in the third person

What is a culture of honor?

Men that tend to be very concerned about their reputation, toughness, and avenging a wrong

Why is a culture of honor associated with certain types of aggression?

There is a strong concern for reputation and need to defend themselves from any perceived slight. In the south this comes from ancestors who where herders

What are some of the cultural forces that make sexual aggression against women more likely?

Extreme devaluation of women and gender inequality, using rape as tool to control women or threaten them

What is inclusive fitness?

the evolutionary need for one’s genetic offspring to survive

How does inclusive fitness explain certain patterns of family violence?

Step parents are a lot more likely to abuse or kill their stepchildren

Why might have men evolved to be more aggressive than women?

Aggression can help men attain higher social status and female attention

Precarious manhood hypothesis

the idea that a man’s gender identity is about strength and toughness and losing that may lead to aggression

How can misconstrual polarize conflict?

Cause people to believe that their side is 100% good and the other is 100% evil, and reactive devaluation - when the one side rejects the offer of the other just because it came from the “bad side”

What is simplistic reasoning?

A cognitive approach that fails to acknowledge complexity.

What is complex reasoning?

Multiple perspectives, nuanced judgements, context awareness, logic, and metacognition to reduce binary thinking

How can simple and complex reasoning escalate or reduce conflict between nations?

Simple can escalate by demonizing the other and not allowing for communication

Complex can reduce by opening communication, reducing stereotypes, promoting understanding and cooperation and negotiation