FRUSTRATION AGGRESSION HYPOTHESIS: Social psychological explanations of human aggression

frustration-aggression hypothesis (8 marks, 2020),

Discuss the frustration-aggression hypothesis [16 marks]

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Dollard and Miller suggested that aggression is always caused by frustration. This frustration happens whenever our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Aggression is more likely if you are close to achieving your goal (proximity to goal) and if being aggressive is likely to remove the barrier to the goal

Frustration is an unpleasant emotion. It builds up and causes mental tension. Aggressive acts relieve frustration through the psychodynamic process of catharsis which is the pleasant feeling after releasing a strong emotion

Aggression can’t always be expressed against the source of frustration so it may be displaced another psychodynamic concept. Displacement is a defensive mechanism and in terms of aggression it means that if we can not take out our frustration on the cause of our anger then we may substitute this aggression onto a substitute target such as a pet or a locker. 

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One piece of supporting research for the frustration aggression hypothesis comes from Harris, who tested to see whether proximity to the goal had an effect on the level of aggressive behaviour shown. She used situations where queues occurred such as shops and her confederates pushed in front of people in the queue. If they were closer to the front of the queue they were more likely to react in an aggressive way than if they were towards the back of the queue. This suggests that proximity to achieving a goal is an important factor in whether aggression occurs as a result of frustration building up.

One limitation is that aggression may not be cathartic. For example, Bushman found participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting  punch bag actually become angrier and aggressive rather than less (doing nothing reduced aggression more) This is a limitation because the outcome of this study is very different from that predicted by the frustration-aggression hypothesis, which questions the validity of the hypothesis.

One limitation of the frustration aggression hypothesis is it fails to consider individual differences. Every individual is different when it comes to aggression. Not everyone who experiences frustration reacts with aggression. It is possible that someone may cry or withdraw rather than become aggressive. They may not feel anger and so react in a different way, reflecting their emotional state. However, Berkowitz proposed a new model called negative affect theory - frustration creates an inclination towards aggression but environmental cues may act as a trigger for aggressive behaviours. This suggests that the frustration aggression hypothesis is limited in its application alone as it fails to consider the key differences highlighted, which questions the validity of the explanation when explaining human aggression. 

Outline the frustration aggression hypothesis [4 marks]

AO1

Dollard and Miller suggested that aggression is always caused by frustration. This frustration happens whenever our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Aggression is more likely if you are close to achieving your goal (proximity to goal) and if being aggressive is likely to

Frustration is an unpleasant emotion. It builds up and causes mental tension. Aggressive acts relieve frustration through the psychodynamic process of catharsis which is the pleasant feeling after releasing a strong emotion

Aggression can’t always be expressed against the source of frustration so it may be displaced another psychodynamic concept. Displacement is a defensive mechanism and in terms of aggression it means that if we can not take out our frustration on the cause of our anger then we may substitute this aggression onto a substitute target such as a pet or a locker. 

Explain what research has shown about the frustration-aggression hypothesis [4 marks]

One piece of supporting research for the frustration aggression hypothesis comes from Harris, who tested to see whether proximity to the goal had an effect on the level of aggressive behaviour shown. She used situations where queues occurred such as shops and her confederates pushed in front of people in the queue. If they were closer to the front of the queue they were more likely to react in an aggressive way than if they were towards the back of the queue. This suggests that proximity to achieving a goal is an important factor in whether aggression occurs as a result of frustration building up.

Two students worked very hard on their essays. Unfortunately, they both got a grade E. Camilla became very angry and headbutted a wall. Ricardo went very quiet and decided to have another go at the essay

Outline and evaluate one social psychological explanation of aggression

Refer to Camilla and Ricardo in your answer [16 marks]

AO1

Dollard and Miller suggested that aggression is always caused by frustration. This frustration happens whenever our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Aggression is more likely if you are close to achieving your goal (proximity to goal) and if being aggressive is likely to

Frustration is an unpleasant emotion. It builds up and causes mental tension. Aggressive acts relieve frustration through the psychodynamic process of catharsis which is the pleasant feeling after releasing a strong emotion

Aggression can’t always be expressed against the source of frustration so it may be displaced another psychodynamic concept. Displacement is a defensive mechanism and in terms of aggression it means that if we can not take out our frustration on the cause of our anger then we may substitute this aggression onto a substitute target such as a pet or a locker. 

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Camilla displacement….

AO3
One piece of supporting research for the frustration aggression hypothesis comes from Harris, who tested to see whether proximity to the goal had an effect on the level of aggressive behaviour shown. She used situations where queues occurred such as shops and her confederates pushed in front of people in the queue. If they were closer to the front of the queue they were more likely to react in an aggressive way than if they were towards the back of the queue. This suggests that proximity to achieving a goal is an important factor in whether aggression occurs as a result of frustration building up.

One limitation is that aggression may not be cathartic. For example, Bushman found participants who vented their anger by repeatedly hitting  punch bag actually become angrier and aggressive rather than less (doing nothing reduced aggression more) This is a limitation because the outcome of this study is very different from that predicted by the frustration-aggression hypothesis, which questions the validity of the hypothesis.

One limitation of the frustration aggression hypothesis is it fails to consider individual differences. Every individual is different when it comes to aggression. Not everyone who experiences frustration reacts with aggression. It is possible that someone may cry or withdraw rather than become aggressive. They may not feel anger and so react in a different way, reflecting their emotional state. However, Berkowitz proposed a new model called negative affect theory - frustration creates an inclination towards aggression but environmental cues may act as a trigger for aggressive behaviours. This suggests that the frustration aggression hypothesis is limited in its application alone as it fails to consider the key differences highlighted, which questions the validity of the explanation when explaining human aggression. 

Outline one social psychological explanation of aggression (6)

AO1

Dollard and Miller suggested that aggression is always caused by frustration. This frustration happens whenever our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Aggression is more likely if you are close to achieving your goal (proximity to goal) and if being aggressive is likely to

Frustration is an unpleasant emotion. It builds up and causes mental tension. Aggressive acts relieve frustration through the psychodynamic process of catharsis which is the pleasant feeling after releasing a strong emotion

Aggression can’t always be expressed against the source of frustration so it may be displaced another psychodynamic concept. Displacement is a defensive mechanism and in terms of aggression it means that if we can not take out our frustration on the cause of our anger then we may substitute this aggression onto a substitute target such as a pet or a locker. 

Explain the difference between frustration aggresion hypothesis and one other social psychological explanation of aggression [ 3 marks]

Dollard and Miller suggested that aggression is always caused by frustration. This frustration happens whenever our goal-directed behaviour is blocked. Aggression is more likely if you are close to achieving your goal (proximity to goal) and if being aggressive is likely to remove the barrier to the goal

However, Deindividuation argues when we join a crowd we lose restraint, self-identity and personal responsbility. This means normally non-agressive individuals then go along with the aggressive behaviours of the group as they feel less personal guilt.

Or, Bandura’s 1961 social learning theory (SLT) acknowledged that aggression can be learned directly through operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcement and punishment)

For instance, a child who angrily snatches a toy learns aggression brings rewards - direct positive reinforcement.

Which one of these statements about the frustration-aggression hypothesis is false?

A. Aggression is viewed as a psychological drive.

B. Aggression is cathartic.

C. The aggression has to be directed towards the source of the frustration.

D. Aggression satisfies frustration.

C