Chapter 11 - Aggression

aggression: Behavior intended to harm another individual.

catharsis: A reduction of the motive to aggress that is said to result from any imagined, observed, or actual act of aggression.

corporal punishment: Physical force (such as spanking or hitting) intended to cause a child pain—but not injury—for the purpose of controlling or correcting the child’s behavior.

culture of honor: A culture that emphasizes honor and social status, particularly for males, and the role of aggression in protecting that honor.

cycle of violence: The transmission of domestic violence across generations.

Dark Triad: A set of three traits that are associated with higher levels of aggressiveness: Machiavellianism (manipulativeness), psychopathy (impulsivity, poor self-control, lack of empathy), and narcissism.

displacement: Aggressing against a substitute target because aggressive acts against the source of the frustration are inhibited by fear or lack of access.

executive functioning: The cognitive abilities and processes that allow humans to plan or inhibit their actions.

frustration–aggression hypothesis: The idea that (1) frustration always elicits the motive to aggress and that (2) all aggression is caused by frustration.

hostile attribution bias: The tendency to perceive hostile intent in others.

pornography: Explicit sexual material.

proactive aggression: Aggressive behavior whereby harm is inflicted as a means to a desired end (also called instrumental aggression).

reactive aggression: Aggressive behavior where the means and the end coincide; harm is inflicted for its own sake.

rumination: In the context of aggression, rumination involves repeatedly thinking about and reliving an anger-inducing event, focusing on angry thoughts and feelings, and perhaps even planning or imagining revenge.

social learning theory: The theory that behavior is learned through the observation of others as well as through the direct experience of rewards and punishments.

weapons effect: The tendency that the likelihood of aggression will increase by the mere presence of weapons.