Aggression, Coercive Action, and Anger

Coercive Action

• Designed to gain compliance through threats and punishments.

• Common in parent-child, boss-employee, and romantic relationships.

Model of Coercive Action

• Actor: Evaluates information and makes decisions.

• Targets: Those threatened by the actor.

• Terminal Goal: Actor's motives and values.

• Coercive action arises when the target's behavior doesn't align with the actor's wishes.

Costs of Coercive Action

• Opportunity Costs: Time, effort, and energy.

• Potential Retaliation Costs: Likelihood of target retaliation.

• Costs of Noncoercion: Consequences of not enforcing compliance.

• Third-Party Costs: Intervention by others.

Irrational Coercive Action

• People often take coercive actions without complete information processing.

• Limited information processing is a key reason.

Alcohol and Coercive Action

• Alcohol consumption leads to disinhibition, impairing information processing.

• myopia causes people to ignore negative information, increasing coercive behavior.

Justice

• Justice is a value acquired early in life.

• Belief in a just world allows us to live without anxiety about the future.

• Rules of conduct are understood as norms.

Retributive Justice

• Belief that norm violations should be punished.

Three Types of Norm Violation

• Distributive Justice: Fair allocation of resources and duties.

• Procedural Justice: Means to resolve conflicts of interest.

• Interactional Justice: Conformity to norms about demeanor and respect.

• Violations of justice are perceived as attacks on self-worth.

Attribution of Blame

• Observers judge whether an actor caused a negative outcome, if it was intended, and if it was justified.

• Blame is assigned if the action was unjustified or foreseeable.

Anger and Injustice

• Anger accompanies the attribution of blame.

• High arousal narrows attention and shifts focus to threat cues.

Interpersonal Violence

• Violence is linked to control and power.

• Threat of loss of power triggers acts of violence.

Violence as the Last Resort

• Aggression is a strategy to gain control.

• Lack of control leads to aggression and violence.

Summary of Coercive Action

• People use threats to achieve goals.

• Coercive action is used when the target doesn't comply.

• Costs include opportunity, retaliation, noncoercion, and third-party costs.

• People don't always act rationally due to incomplete information.

Summary of Justice and Violence

• Justice motivates coercive actions.

• Blameworthy behavior should be punished.

• Violence is linked to power and lack of control.

Youth Violence

• Increased significantly in the past decade.

• Poverty, abuse, and media violence are possible causes.

Model of Youth Violence Development

• Biological, learned, and cognitive factors interact.

• Two paths: antisocial/criminal behavior and conventional behavior.

Biological Component

• Frustration leads to hostile feelings, triggering the fight-or-flight response.

Learned Component

• Hostile feelings can lead to instrumental behaviors or aggression.

• Good guidance and role models help children escape threats.

Cognitive Component

• Nurturing parents lead to self-control.

• Violence exposure leads to seeing oneself as a victim.

Summary of Youth Violence Model

• Frustrated needs lead to hostile feelings.

• Parental attitudes and role models influence behavior.

• Adaptive behaviors lead to self-control, while hostile behaviors lead to feeling like a victim.

Aggression and Health Issues

• Type A personality is linked to coronary heart disease (CHD).

• Hostility is the component most clearly related to CHD.

Hostility and Heart Disease

• Repressed anger (anger-in) is linked to hypertension and cardiovascular problems.

• Expressing anger (anger-out) may be less risky.

Cynical Hostility

• Predictor of heart disease due to anger, resentment, and poor adaptive skills.

Hostility, TABP, and Plasma Lipids

• High hostility and TABP elevate plasma lipids, leading to chronic stress and increased risk of CHD.

Summary of Aggression and Health

• Type A personality (TABP) is linked to CHD.

• Suppressed anger and cynical hostility are linked to CHD.

• Key is to manage anger through understanding its sources and finding constructive outlets.

Practical Application: Learning to Manage Anger

• Key to reducing aggression and hostility.

• Channel anger into positive energy.

• Avoid letting anger fester or striking out in anger.

• Change perceptual habits and understand triggers.

Main Points

• Aggression has roots in the need to control others.

• Provoked aggression is common.

• Coercive action involves threats and punishment.

• Violence is linked to power, control, and frustrated needs.

• Hostility is a predictor of coronary heart disease.