Aggression

Study Guide: Aggression

Definition of Aggression

  • Any form of behavior that is intended to harm, injure, or damage another living thing, yourself, or an object.

  • Requires intent to harm.

  • If harming isn’t the main point of the action, it isn’t classified as aggression.

Types of Aggression

  1. Instrumental Aggression

    • Use of harm (or the threat of harm) to achieve a goal.

    • Aggression used to gain some benefit.

  2. Hostile Aggression

    • Use of harm to cause injury or death to the victim.

    • Aggression aimed at hurting someone else.

Distinguishing Between Types

  • Not always easy to determine the type of aggression being used.

    • Example: Hitting a child may start off hostile but result in instrumental benefits (taking their toy).

    • Prolonged exposure to warfare can shift the context of aggression as well.

Who is Aggressive?

  • Gender Differences:

    • Men are generally more likely to engage in physical aggression, which declines with age.

    • Both men and women equally express anger and utilize verbal aggression.

    • Women are more likely to engage in relational (or indirect) aggression, which doesn’t decline with age.

  • Ingroup/Outgroup Dynamics:

    • Dehumanization: Excluding outgroups from the norms governing conduct.

    • Extreme outcomes of intergroup conflict can rationalize genocide.

Origins of Aggression

  • Sources:

    • Evolutionary, cognitive, physiological, situational, and cultural explanations.

    • Social learning: Appropriate behavior learned through observation.

    • Example: Albert Bandura’s “Bobo Doll” study.

The Impact of Violent Media

  • Research Findings (Anderson & Bushman, 2001):

    • High video-game violence significantly associated with heightened aggression in both correlational and experimental settings.

    • Increased aggression found in children and adults, men and women.

    • Notable increases in aggressive thoughts, behavior, and emotions, while prosocial behavior decreased.

Considerations & Moderating Factors

  • Identification with Violence:

    • Identification with the agent of violence can moderate effects of exposure.

  • Trait Hostility:

    • Individual differences in hostility can influence aggression responses.

  • Short vs. Long-term Effects:

    • Exposure effects vary in duration, impacting aggression differently in the short vs. long term.

  • Frequent exposure increases accessibility to aggressive behaviors, potentially leading to desensitization to violence.

Summary: Frequent exposure to violent media and the interplay of biological, social, and situational factors contribute significantly to aggression, highlighting the complexity of its origins and manifestations.