Aggression and Violent Offending

What is Bartol's definition of aggression?

Behaviour perpetrated or attempted with the intention of harming another individual

-Physical or psychological

What type of behaviour may be regarded as aggressive?

Passive-aggression and some humour

What are the two categories of aggression?

Hostile/expressive and instrumental

What is hostile/expressive aggression?

Aggression for its own sake

-Done out of anger, excitement

-Episodic

-Often provoked

What type of aggression are some rapes, beatings, and homicides?

Hostile/expressive

What is instrumental aggression?

Means to an end, intend to attain a goal

-Use only necessary amount of force

What type of aggression do contracted hits fall into?

Instrumental

What are the common goals in instrumental aggression?

Material (money) or interpersonal (girl)

What is multiple murder?

Three or more

What are the types of multiple murder?

Serial, spree, mass

Why is multiple murder on the rise?

-Wider proliferation of automatic weapons

-Improved police database construction (case linkage analysis)

What are examples of multiple murder?

Columbine, 9/11, Dahmer, Gacy, Jack the Ripper, Manson family, Hillside stranglers

What is serial murder?

Killing one at a time, separated by a cooling off period of days to years

What (historically) are the victims of serial murder?

Disenfranchised females

-Runaways, prostitutes

What (recently) are the victims of serial murder?

Children of either gender

-Chosen based on availability

What is the onset of serial killing behaviour?

24-40

-Medium 36

What is the juvenile history for serial killers?

Rarely significant

-Some petty nonsense

How many killings do serial killers typically commit? Why?

16

-4 victims a year, avoid arrest for 4 years

Why are serial killers so difficult to catch?

Victim usually not immediately missed

-Often a stranger

-Unlinked!

What is the effect of homeless population on murders?

More murders with greater homeless populations

-Disenfranchised and disconnected

Why are serial killers caught?

Coincidence or sloppiness

What is the difference in female serial killers vs men?

-More financially motivated

-Use poisons

-Act in concert with male

What are Holmes & DeBurger's serial killer subtypes?

-Visionary

-Mission-oriented

-Hedonistic

-Power/control

How was the hedonistic subtype further broken up?

Lust and thrill

What are the key features of visionary serial killers?

-Likely psychotic

-Respond to command hallucinations

What are the typical contents of command hallucinations?

Mostly not murderous

-Don't talk to them

What is an example of a visionary serial killer?

David Berkowitz (son of sam)

What are the key features of missionary serial killers?

-Believes it's necessary and justifiable to rid the world of a certain people

-May later claim psychosis

-Elaborately developed beliefs around target group

What is an example of a missionary serial killer?

Adolf Hitler

How can you probe the beliefs of a potential missionary serial killer?

Challenge their beliefs and push them

What are the key features of hedonistic serial killers?

-Enjoy the process of killing

-Well prepared, elaborate torture chambers

-Slow and painful death

What group is included in hedonistic serial killers?

Homicidal sexual sadists (lust)

What are additional features of sexual sadists?

Pain and suffering of victim adds to their arousal

What is an example of hedonistic serial killers?

Gacy, Dahmer, Hillside Strangler

What are the key features of power/control serial killers?

-Pleasure from victims helplessness and mercy pleas (not murder itself)

-May sexually assault

What types did Bartol add to power/control serial killers?

Recognition seekers (desire for publicity) and material gains seekers (money)

What is an example of material gains seekers (power/control)?

Black widows

-Seduce affluent man an contrive their death

What is spree murder?

Killing of several people in a short period of time (no cooling off)

When do spree murders usually happen?

Fleeing from another crime in panic

-Bank heist gone wrong

How often are spree murders repeated?

Not

What is mass murder?

Victims are all killed at once

-Quick and with little warning

-Well planned (sometimes own death as well)

What is common of the intentions of mass murderers?

If the nature is compensatory, they may communicate their intentions ahead of time

How rare are mass murders?

2 have happened in the states in 2021

-One March 1st

What is common of the nature of mass murders?

-Specific individuals are targeted (representatives of their oppressors)

-Perpetrator is desperate, withdrawn, isolated

-Well armed

What weapons are common in mass murders?

US: high capacity assault rifles

Canada: multiple weapons and lots of spare ammo

What is type 1 of workplace violence?

Perpetrator has no prior relationship to location

-Injury to others is instrumental

What is an example of type 1 workplace violence?

Liquor store or gas station hits

What is type 2 of workplace violence?

Former client or customer feeling mistreated

What is an example of type 2 workplace violence?

Edmonton man holding WCB room hostage

What is type 3 of workplace violence?

Disgruntled employee

What is type 4 of workplace violence?

Location is incidental

-Perpetrator is targeting someone who works there

What type of workplace violence gets the most media attention?

Type 3

What is the common situation of type 4 workplace violence?

Extension of domestic violence

-Custody

How is a workplace offender related to a school shooter?

Sense of humiliation or mistreatment

-Act in desperation (financial)

What are the cognitions of a workplace violence offender?

Limited flexibility

-Views support the use of violence

What is the common profile of a workplace offender?

-White male

-35-45

-Loner, disgruntled

-Externalize blame

-Take criticism poorly

-Identify with violence, weapons, drugs and alcohol

What are warning signs of workplace violence?

-Deliberate violations of company policies

-Fascination with violent/sexual movies

-Escalate domestic problems

-Withdrawals from companies credit union

-Unexplained absenteeism

What are physical warning signs of workplace violence?

-Alcohol/drug use

-Poor hygiene

-Depression, anger (suicidal tendencies)

-Threaten/abuse coworkers

-Suspicious/paranoid

-Vague somatic complaints

-"plan to solve all problems"

What is the psychodynamic theory of aggression/violence?

Energy is bottled up and there is a lack of appropriate catharsis

What evidence is against psychodynamic theories of aggression?

Exposure to aggressive activities (boxing, video games) doesn't lessen aggressive behaviour

What evidence redeems psychodynamic theories of aggression?

People who score high on overcontrolled hostility (MMPI) and shyness are those who often commit out of character violent acts

-Reluctant to solve problem otherwise

What is over controlled hostility (Megargee)?

Built up aggressive energy

What group doesn't score high in over controlled hostility?

Habitual criminals

What is Zillman's excitation transfer hypothesis of aggression?

The stage for aggression is set in one situation and acted out in another

-Looks like perpetrator is flying off the handle to small provocation

What is Lorenz's ethological theory of aggression?

Aggressive behaviour is a biological imperative that humans have evolved

-Reactions to territory challenges

-Ritualized aggression

What are appeasement behaviours?

In ethological theory, signal end of conflict

What is the problem with ethological theories of aggression?

Even lethal animals don't typically kill their own kind

-Humans often do!

What explains human use of deadly aggression according to Konrad Lorenz?

Human weapons develop so quickly that evolution can't keep up

-Can't appease with a gun

What is Dollard's frustration/aggression hypothesis?

Aggression is the natural consequence to frustration

What is frustration?

The natural consequence on nondelivery of expected reinforcement

What are extinction bursts?

Increase in strength and frequency of operant responding when expected reinforcement isn't delivered

What is an example of extinction burst in criminal behaviour?

A robber trying to shake a woman down for money doesn't immediately get it

-Increase aggressive behaviour (operant responding) to attempt to get reward

What occurs if an increase in aggressive operant behaviour gains a reward?

More aggressive behaviour is inadvertently reinforced

What occurs if a person can't get a reward following operant behaviours and extinction burst?

Apathy

What are the problems with the frustration-aggression hypothesis?

-What is frustration and how can it be measured?

According to the frustration-aggression hypothesis, what should instances of frustration end in?

Aggression

What do instances of frustration typically end in?

Not aggression

-Other ways to end conflict

What are Berkowitz' three stages of the revised frustration-aggression hypothesis?

-Person blocked from reward=frustration

-Frustration engenders anger

-Anger increases change of aggression, but it depends on learning history and presence of aggression-elevating stimuli

What if a frustrated individual sees impediment as deliberate?

Aggression is more likely

What if a frustrated individual sees impediment as illegitimate?

Aggression isn't likely to occur

What occurs when acts are done to reduce the unpleasant affect of frustration?

They (including aggression) are likely to be negatively reinforced

-Reduce displeasure

According to Bandura, what learning conditions are most apt to result in aggression?

1. Plenty of observable aggressive behaviour

2. Aggression is reinforced

3. Being the target for others' aggression

How may aggression be reinforced in daycare?

Aggressor always bullies to get the new toys

-If they're allowed to do it every week, it's reinforced

How can being the target of aggression result in aggression?

Don't have lots to lose

-Reduced social prestige

What are physiological explanations for aggression?

-High testosterone in young males

-Low serotonin

-PMS

-High temperature

-High population desity

How can aggression be controlled?

-Psychosurgery (lobotomy)

-SSRIs

-Atypical antipsychotics (seroquil, clozapine)

-Anti-androgeneric steroids

Who is given anti-androgeneric steroids?

Sexual offenders

What are the effects of anti-androgeneric steroids?

Feminizing

-Reduce plasma testosterone

-Decrease bone density

How do SSRI's treat aggression?

Reduce impulsivity