Lecture 15 Understanding Aggression and Violence in Psychology

Aggression

Any physical or verbal behavior intended to hurt someone or something.

Violence

Aggression intended to cause extreme harm (e.g., injury, death).

Hostile aggression

Behavior intended to harm that is motivated by feelings of anger and hostility.

Instrumental aggression

Behavior intended to harm that has other motives than hostility.

Predictors of Aggression

Personality, Age.

Aggressiveness in young children

25% of 1-3 year olds' interactions are aggressive!

Stability of Aggressiveness

Aggressiveness is almost as stable as intelligence over time.

Lower inhibition

A predictor of aggression.

Less ability to express wants/needs

A predictor of aggression.

Age and murder rates

Most murders are committed by people ages 18-24!

Dark Triad of personality

Narcissism, Psychopathy, Machiavellianism.

Hostile Attribution Bias

Tendency to perceive ambiguous actions as hostile.

Hostile Perception Bias

Tendency to perceive social interactions as being aggressive.

Hostile Expectation Bias

Tendency to expect others to react aggressively.

Gender and Aggression - Men

More physically aggressive.

Gender and Aggression - Women

More likely to engage in relational or emotional aggression.

Role of testosterone

In women, Estradiol acts similarly and converts to testosterone in the body.

Testosterone spikes

For those who care about dominance and status, testosterone/estradiol can spike after competition.

Culture of honor

A culture defined by its members' strong concerns about their own and others' reputations, leading to sensitivity to insults and a willingness to use violence to avenge any perceived wrong.

Unpleasant stimuli

Can lead to fight-or-flight response.

Frustration-aggression hypothesis

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

Frustration

Response to having a goal blocked.

Aggression without Frustration

Aggression can occur without frustration.

Berkowitz (1989) Theory Update

Includes learned helplessness, arousal, interpretation, anger, and aggression.

Learned Helplessness

Repeated uncontrollable negative outcomes leads people to give up trying to avoid them.

Situational Cues

Situational cues can increase the likelihood of anger.

Weapons Effect

The presence of weapons can increase aggression.

Temperature and Aggression

Increased temperature leads to increased violence.

Evolutionary Rejection

Rejection is equated to death, highlighting the evolutionary advantages of being in a group.

Rejection and Physical Pain

Rejection can lead to physical pain and physical ailments.

Alcohol and Aggression

Cognitive impairment and decreased inhibitions from alcohol can lead to aggression.

Alcohol and Brakelines Analogy

Alcohol cuts the brakelines, metaphorically representing its effect on inhibitions.

Expectancy Theories

Social attitudes and expectations about alcohol can influence aggression.

Alcohol-Related Words

Exposing people to alcohol-related words can make them act more aggressively.

Media Violence and Aggression

The violence portrayed in the media may influence aggression.

Correlational Research

Kids who engage with more violent media tend to be more violent.

Longitudinal Study Findings

Watching violent TV as a child is associated with committing violent or criminal acts as a teen.

Anderson and Bushman (2001) Meta-Analysis

Playing violent video games is associated with increased aggression (r = 0.19) and decreased helping (r = -0.16).

Experimental Evidence of Media Violence

Studies show a small, short-lived effect of media violence on aggression.

Reasons for Media Influence on Aggression

Increased arousal, perceived norms, identifying with the perpetrator, situational cues, media that justifies violence, imitation, desensitization, and social learning theory.

Reducing Aggression

Strategies include early intervention, punishment, promoting non-aggressive values, non-aggressive models, developing empathy, and mindfulness practice.